Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining No. 1 Issue for West Virginia's U.S. Senate Candidate

Interview with Ken Hechler, candidate to replace West Virginia's late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, recorded and produced by Melinda Tuhus

A long-time West Virginia politician and progressive activist is running in the Democratic primary Aug. 28th against incumbent Gov. Joe Manchin to be the party’s candidate in the Nov. 2 special election to replace the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd. Ken Hechler, who will be 96 in September, was born in New York, earned a Ph.D. in history and government from Columbia University and held several jobs before moving to West Virginia in 1957. The next year, he won his first election to Congress, and served in the House from 1959 to 1977. After leaving his House seat, he served as West Virginia's secretary of state from 1985 to 2001.

The former legislator has been a long-time foe of surface coal mining, introducing legislation to abolish it in the early 1960s. He was also principal sponsor of the 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act. In 2000, he walked more than 500 miles with the late Doris "Granny D" Haddock on her cross-country walk to promote campaign finance reform, something he believed was urgently needed due to the disproportionate contributions of coal company officials to West Virginia politicians.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus caught up with Hechler by phone as he traveled around his state calling for an end to mountaintop removal mining and seeking votes in the upcoming election.

Ken Hechler is running in the Democratic primary Aug. 28 to be the party's candidate in the Nov. 2 special election to replace the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd. For more information on campaign, visit his website, www.KenHechlerforWestVirginia.org

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