Charleston has always had its own unique

[Still Sensible]

chemical smell in the air as long as I can remember--from the plants in South Charleston and Nitro. I always wondered why locals didn't make more out of what I considered air pollution. Probably, similar to how many West Virginians have tended to accept coal industry issues (because of jobs/economy).

I am a little surprised that they have gone this long without a major chemical water contamination.

[Warpy]

1. I remember as a kid, traveling through miles and miles

of some of the most gorgeous countryside in the nation, the Blue Ridge and Smokies. Then you'd come down to the Kanawha Valley in WV and see that incredibly foul, stinking Union Carbide plant and wonder why in the hell would anyone want to despoil such a beautiful place.

Of course, the people in WV welcomed it, it was alternative to coal mine, moonshine, or move down the line that they'd faced for centuries.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a major spill before now, too. Maybe Union Carbide and/or the coal barons managed to keep it or them hushed up.