WASHINGTON, D.C. — Twenty people protesting the Rockwool insulation plant in Jefferson County were arrested by Washington, D.C. police outside the Danish Embassy Thursday afternoon.
https://www.facebook.com/ResistRockwool/videos/396108334271384/
They were there to confront Acting Ambassador Henrik Hahn.
“We’re calling out the double standard that protects the Danish public from a toxic polluter while threatening the health of vulnerable populations with heavy industrial development of sites like Rockwool,” said Catherine Jozwik, a West Virginia resident and member of Resist Rockwool. “We deserve to raise healthy children, breathe clean air and have access to clean water. If it isn’t good enough for the Danes, why is it good enough for West Virginia?”
Rockwool’s headquarters is located in Hedehusene, Denmark.
A Facebook Live feed from Resist Rockwool, who organized the trip, showed multiple protesters being detained by DC Police at around 1:40 pm Thursday.
Following the protest, a Rockwool spokesperson released a statement to MetroNews affiliate WEPM:
ROCKWOOL fully recognizes there are individuals who oppose our facility currently being constructed in Ranson, WV, and that some of those individuals expressed their opposition at the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC. In Ranson, like everywhere else we operate including Denmark, we have an unbreakable commitment to meet and exceed environmental standards and requirements set by the state and federal government. Environmental stewardship, a commitment to do more than what is asked of us, and to always strive to do better, have been integral parts of our values for more than 80 years.We appreciate the State of West Virginia’s support in bringing new manufacturing jobs to the state and to do so in an environmentally responsible way. As we have from the outset, we will continue to engage constructively and transparently with both opponents and supporters as well as provide updates along the way. We will remain engaged in and around Ranson during the construction phase, and with 150 new jobs being created by the facility, welook forward to being a contributing member of the Jefferson County community.-Michael Zarin, Vice President, Group Communications for Rockwool
Resist Rockwool says a delegation from West Virginia which holds shares in the company will offer a resolution at Rockwool’s annual shareholders meeting next week.