www.tinyurl.com/niosh-mace
The unspoiled nature of our mountains and rivers and the recreational opportunities that they provide are a large part of what makes our area so special to so many people. With our local economy directly tied to tourism, protecting these natural assets must remain our top priority.
That is why we are asking you to join us in voicing your opposition to the Federal CDC/NIOSH Mine Testing facility proposed for the property bordering our Silver Creek area. The test facility would not only negatively impact tourism in the region, but would also have devastating impacts on the quality of water in Mingo, Mace, Valley Head, Slatyfork, Dry Branch, and beyond.
We recognize that advancing coal mine safety is a very important endeavor, especially here in West Virginia, however we strongly believe that this choice of location is inappropriate, and the negative impacts of placing the facility here far outweigh the positives.
Get involved here: https://tinyurl.com/NIOSH-Mace
There is a federal NIOSH facility proposed for the property bordering Silver Creek of Snowshoe Mountain. The facility will create massive underground tunnels in the karstic limestone that mimic coal mines. The facility will be used to develop mine safety measures. So, they will set off explosions often and treat the explosions with fire suppressant chemicals. There will also be above-ground pieces of the project, such as a fire suppression facility, equipment preparation lots, and water treatment ponds.
While coal mine safety is absolutely an important endeavor, this location is inappropriate for the facility. Since the limestone is “karstic”, that means there are huge cave systems that water flows through throughout the region. Since the Snowshoe area relies so heavily on the tourism economy, this facility could mean interruptions in traffic and longer-term development goals.