This is a call to action to stop the NIOSH Project in Mace, WV. Please call our representatives this week and fill out the form below. It is essential to do it this week to get their attention enough to start a conversation. The Final EIS is projected to be released by January 2021. Let’s give it a unified community effort to stop this facility from settling in Mace, WV. I have provided a list of talking points and contact information below.
Talking Points
Include this general message:
State your first and last name. Describe how you are connected to the area (ie. I vacation in Pocahontas County. I am a seasonal employee at Snowshoe. I vacation in Randolph County to fish the Tygart River. I live in Mingo. I live in Mace. My family owns a farm in Pocahontas County. I run a small business at Snowshoe, West Virginia. I am a constituent of yours.)
"I am calling to ask you to stop the NIOSH Facility in Mace, WV. Mace, WV is not a suitable location for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Underground Mine Safety Research Facility. I am against this location for the facility for the following reasons":
Include some of these, all of these, and/or some of your own:
Water
This facility will put the drinking water of Mingo, Mace, Dry Branch, and Elk Springs at risk. We all rely on wells and springs that come from Karst and are connected by an underground river system flowing through tunnels and cavities in the karst limestone. There is no public water available in any of these communities.
Blasting and excavation activity and continuous pumping to dewater the facility during construction and during long-term operation may alter the flow of groundwater, dewatering local wells and springs. Operation of the above-ground fire suppression facility and the underground facility on karst limestone threatens contamination of local drinking water. We are desperate to protect our water because we will not be able to live in or sell our houses without water, or with contaminated water.
Recreation Economy
Talk about your small business or how you rely on the success of the recreation economy in Pocahontas or Randolph County. If you don’t live here, talk about the reasons you choose to visit Snowshoe and how this might impact it. For example, this facility could dramatically impact the second home market in Pocahontas and Randolph counties by dewatering homes. This facility borders expanding mountain bike areas and holds a great opportunity to connect bike communities through rail trail.
Traffic
According to calculations from data in the DEIS for the project, there will be at least one truck every three minutes traveling on Rt. 219 for four months. After the first four months, there will be an average of sixteen loads per day every day for almost four years. Rt. 219 is a main artery for guests to enter Pocahontas County and access Snowshoe from the north and east. It also connects commuters between Randolph and Pocahontas Counties.
Contact Information
Please call the following representatives and leave a message. Try to contact all of them, but if you have limited time, prioritize contacting Senator Manchin and the Randolph County Commission.
Senator Joe Manchin
304-342-5855
Senator Shelley Moore Capito
304-347-5372
Pocahontas County Commission
304-799-6063
*They wrote a letter of opposition. Thank them!
Randolph County Commission
304-636-2057