Bob Kiss, Speaker of the House for the West Virginia Legislature, looking at jar of well water, presented to illustrate the effects of blasting on the water supply

During the 1998 election campaign, Mr. Kiss visited the Ramp House at the head of Drew's Creek. Citizens voiced their concerns about mountaintop removal, enclosure of lands traditionally used for hunting, gathering, and recreation, and the contamination of the water supply due to blasting at mountaintop removal sites above the valley. Mr. Kiss had promoted legislation earlier in the year making it possible to affect wetlands through mining without mitigation, if fewer than four hundred acres were affected. At this meeting he promised to help the community by re-opening a road traditionally used by community members to travel to work in Wyoming County.

Event: Bob Kiss, Speaker of the House for the West Virginia Legislature, meeting constituents at the Ramp House.

mountaintop removal community space ramp house spring blasting political events water quality well water ethnography drews creek speaker house virginia legislature west virginia legislature jar water effects coal river folklife collection tending the commons folklife and landscape in southern west virginia american folklife center mary hufford bob kiss ultra high resolution high resolution west virginia wetlands politics and government elections political campaigns library of congress

01/01/1998

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

Public Domain