Wednesday, September 13th, 2006

Read the full story in the Press Room:

WASHINGTON, DC – West Virginia grandfather and former coal miner Ed Wiley today completed his
455-mile walk from Charleston, WV to Washington, DC, seeking help for a southern West Virginia
school threatened by mountaintop removal coal mining. Supporters from across the nation joined
Wiley for the last mile of his walk, from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol.

Wiley walked to Washington to bring attention to the plight of children at Marsh Fork Elementary
School in Sundial, WV, which is on the front lines of the controversial practice known as mountaintop
removal coal mining. A 1,849-acre mountaintop removal coal mine surrounds the school area with
more mining permitted. Marsh Fork Elementary sits just 225 feet from a coal loading silo that
releases coal dust, with independent tests confirming the presence of coal dust in the school. A
leaking earthen dam holding back 2.8 billion gallons of toxic coal-sludge is located just 400 yards
above the school. The Pennies of Promise campaign was created to build a new school for the
children of Marsh Fork Elementary.

Wiley has walked to Washington to seek help from West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd.

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