CHARLESTON --  The West Virginia Surface Mine Board this morning heard an environmental group's appeal concerning a mountain top removal site on Coal River Mountain. Massey Energy was granted permits by the DEP to begin blasting there last November.

The Coal River Mountain Watch says the blasting zone is too close to a coal waste impoundment. The environmental group says the blasting could lead to a disaster similar to one that happened recently in Tennessee.

Environmentalist, Judy Bonds, thinks Coal River Mountain can be saved and used to create jobs. "What we would like to do is put a wind farm on this mountain and create jobs. And, they can still underground mine the coal instead of destroying the mountain forever".

Coal River Mountain Watch is trying to get Massey's blasting permits revoked. .