Wheeling News Register
Miners Ask President Obama To Stop the ‘Absolute Lies’
October 13, 2012
By Casey Junkins 

BEALLSVILLE - Coal miners at the American Energy Corp. Century Mine said they want President Barack Obama to stop what they term "the war on coal" - and to stop spreading "mistruths" about them. 

Miners gathered Friday afternoon to express their opposition to Obama's energy and environmental policies, which they believe threaten their jobs. Miner Mitch Miracle read aloud a letter the miners mailed to Obama that outlines some of their concerns. 

The miners said Obama's campaign team is running ads filled with "blatantly false" statements about the miners regarding their participation in Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's August campaign stop at the Century Mine. These ads assert that the miners were forced to attend the event by the mine's owner, Robert Murray. 

"There are numerous false statements and absolute lies concerning our participation in this event, mostly started by a local 'shock jock' radio host," the miners' letter to Obama states. "Why would you (Obama) lie about the 500 working miners who have signed this letter? We, the employees of the Century Mine would request you immediately stop these false ads." 

This summer, Murray Energy Corp., parent company of the Beallsville mine, cut or relocated 56 workers with the closure of the Red Bird West mine near Brilliant. Murray also cut 29 mining jobs from The Ohio Valley Coal Co.'s Powhatan No. 6 Mine. All of this was done, Robert Murray said, because of Obama's "war on coal." 

Murray then hosted the Romney campaign stop in Beallsville in August, during which many miners appeared behind Romney as the former Massachusetts governor spoke about the need to protect coal mining jobs. In response to the assertion some have made about the miners being forced to appear with Romney, the miners made several points on Friday: 

- No employee was forced to attend the event… 

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