More from Senator Obama in Beckley

Obama took more questions and eventually looked over at the man in the neon-green ball cap and sweat shirt, our own Larry Gibson. Obama, like many of us, noticed Larry’s dogged persistence: the Presidential candidate invited Larry to speak, saying, “This gentlemen in the green has hand his hand up for a long time.”

Larry stood up and said, “Senator Obama, I appreciate your stand on the war. You mentioned water a while ago. Water is something we all need… We have a House Bill 2169, the Clean Water (Protection) Act…we had a gentleman back here touch on mining. Like I said about the war in Iraq, we’d like you to consider the war we have here in Appalachia, with over 474 mountains blowed up…and it’s the the mining polluting the water…I’d like to know your opinion about it.”

Obama replied, “I want strong enforcement of the Clean Water Act. I will make sure the head of the Environmental Protection Agency believes in the environment and enforces the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act.

“What I want to do is work with experts here in West Virginia to find out what we need to do to protect the waterways here. That’s going to be a primary task of the head of my Environmental Protection Agency.

Please see Larry in the green shirt in the middle of the frame with his hand raised. He raised his hand for the entire speech.

h/t to OHVEC

About JW Randolph

Raised on the banks of the Tennessee River, JW's work to create progress in his home state and throughout Appalachia has been featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Daily Kos and Grist. He served first as Appalachian Voices’ Legislative Associate and then Tennessee director until leaving to pursue a career in medicine in 2012.