Herb Elkins, an elementary school student’s father from Coal River Valley, and Hannah Thurman, an activist for the group Mountain Justice Summer, were arrested by Richmond police for trespassing onto Massey property about 20 minutes after the demonstration began. Both were later released on their own recognizance but are scheduled to appear in court this week.

The group’s list of demands included a request for the elementary school to be “cleaned up” or a new school built, that Massey discontinue blasting near homes, that the company withdraw its application for a second coal loading silo behind the school, and that it “shut down its surface mine sites and invest in true sustainable energy.”

Early last month anti-coal group Mountain Justice Summer staged a rally outside the entrance to Massey Energy's Goals Coal preparation plant in Sundial, West Virginia. This time, 16 were taken into custody, including five local residents.

“With all due respect,” said Massey spokeswoman Katharine Kenny, “we couldn't stay in business if we operated with less than the high ethical standards that we have.”

Kenny said protestor’s claims of a leaking coal-slurry dam and that Goals Coal prep plant posed a health threat were false. She said the dam has been inspected by federal and state inspectors, and chemicals used in Massey coal plant are approved and commonly used. A spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Jessica Greathouse, confirmed that the dam complies with state laws.

Massey said a great deal of misinformation has been circulated about activities at its preparation plant, but the regulatory process is the place to express concerns. Massey designs its mines beyond what is required for pollution prevention and control and is committed to environmental stewardship, the company said.