West Virginia University will play host to a campaign speech by one of the 15 candidates for the U.S. Senate.
Ken Hechler, a 95-year-old former West Virginia Secretary of State and U.S. Congressman and democrat from Huntington, will be speaking in the Mountainlair at 7 p.m. today to raise support for his campaign.
He plans to tell students and Morgantown residents about an issue that is ruining the state, he said.
"Mountaintop removal is my number one issue, and it will be the first bill I will introduce into the Senate," he said.
"This is the most devastating form of mining, when the coal industry blasts off the tops of mountains and dumps the trees, rocks and soil down into people's yards in the valleys."
Mountaintop removal mining is a process of extracting coal from a mountain's coal seam by removing the layer above it.
Hechler said this process pollutes air, water and soil and could lead to health problems for West Virginians.
Recently, Hechler received an endorsement by key environmental movement groups such as Sierra Club West Virginia.
Jim Kotcom, Sierra Club West Virginia Political Committee chair, said his group was excited about the work Hechler is planning.
Kotcom said WVU students should get more involved in environmental issues within the state.
"It's the Mountain State, why wouldn't we care about mountains?" Kotcom said. "How can we have Mountaineers if there are no mountains?"
Hechler would like to meet with members of WVU's Sierra Club Coalition to listen to their concerns about the issue.
Members of the club are also looking forward to meeting with him.
"I'm excited to see him speak, because he is a good candidate for West Virginia," said Meredith Brown, organizer for the Sierra Club Coalition. "I look forward to hearing what he has to say about state policies."
Brown said she hopes students in attendance will learn more about the issue, even those from out of state.
"I would like people to understand how this mining process does relate to them," she said. "(Many states) are using coal from mountaintop mining sites that are responsible for destroying mountains across the state."
Hechler said he decided to enter the Senate race because he was not satisfied with Gov. Joe Manchin "electing himself," he said.
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