One year ago this month, Rockwool North America announced the start of commercial production at its 130-acre insulation factory off Route 9 in Ranson. Where do things stand now? The Observer contacted Rockwool and reviewed publicly available information to prepare this update. Read the Full Story >>
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Air Quality Forum – June 2
The Rockwool Ranson facility is required to file an application for its air permit with the WV Department of Environmental Protection in June. The non-profit Jefferson County Foundation will summarize the permitting process as it applies to the Rockwool facility, followed by a discussion about how residents can engage in this review process. Read the Full Story >>
Waters of Jefferson County
What is karst? Who is responsible for protecting surface waters and groundwater in WV? How can community members ensure the safety of their drinking water resources. This SIGHTLINE covers topics surrounding water in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
Construction Complete, Concerns Continue Over Rockwool
According to the @ROCKWOOLRansonCommunity page on Facebook, the manufacturing facility will operate equipment in May to “run in” the factory, prior to beginning production operations in June. In an April 30 post, the company stated that “steam” will be visible from the chimney stack above the “wet electrostatic precipitator'' and a “plume” will be visible from the tall chimney Read the Full Story >>
Book Review: Remaking Appalachia
Stump’s ambitious and challenging work reimagines the commons – the cultural and natural assets accessible to all members of society – in innovative ways but also imbibes from previous intellectual frameworks and Appalachia’s own robust activist tradition. Read the Full Story >>
Taking Waters Into Their Own Hands
Concerned that West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) oversight is insufficient to protect the water underlying their property from the threat of pollutants from the planned nearby Rockwool factory, a group of local residents is hiring experts to test their water to establish a record to use in possible future legal action. Read the Full Story >>
Do We Need to Pollute the Water to Create Jobs?
On October 23, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) will hold a public hearing on Rockwool’s applications for two stormwater permits. The hearing will begin at 6pm in the Storer Ballroom of the Shepherd University Student Center and will end at 8pm. Any citizen concerned about drinking water should come to this hearing. Read the Full Story >>
How We Got Here: Connections Between the Mountaineer Pipeline and Rockwool
To me, the fight against the Mountaineer Gas pipeline and the Rockwool factory are not just related battles, they are both part of the same long struggle I’ve been part of for the past three years. Read the Full Story >>
Pipeline Bait and Switch
On March 26, Delegate Sammi Brown and I met with Scott Mandirola, Deputy Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and DEP General Counsel Jason Wandling. We met with them to urge the DEP to make good on its promise to hold a public hearing on the natural gas pipeline coming to Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
He Said. She Said. They Said. We Said.
When all the posting, researching, explaining, presenting, disputing, articulating, organizing, mobilizing, etc., is stripped away, it looks like this: one group of people—Rockwool Group North America, the JCDA, and the City of Ranson—wants to bring what has been determined to be an economic opportunity to Jefferson County; another group—mostly Jefferson County citizens and larger groups therein—doesn’t want it here. They each have a story to tell; they each have been attempting to tell that story vigorously for the last month or more. Read the Full Story >>
Opening of Park in Charles Town Represents Long-Term Plan
The City of Charles Town officially christened a new nature park housed on a former brownfield site and kicked off the first piece of a large-scale project in its urban center. Read the Full Story >>