Well, another county heard from … Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s strong statement yesterday seems to have made other elected officials in West Virginia stop and think about whether they like the idea of more than 220 Raleigh County children attending school less than 300 feet from a huge coal processing plant and just downhill from a gigantic slurry impoundment.

Sen. Jay Rockfeller issued the following statement this afternoon:

“The hazards around Marsh Fork Elementary have been weighing heavily on the minds of parents in the Marsh Fork community for some time. Protecting our children is our first and most fundamental obligation, and it is right to expect the company to help pay for the solution.”

Read Massey’s response to Sen. Byrd’s statement here, and  a statement from Congressman Rahall here.