(LEX 18) - — Friday marked the fifth day of protests for the Blackjewel coal miners in Harlan County and the big question that remains unanswered is whether or not these miners will be paid.
The coal miners for Blackjewel say they will not move off the train tracks in Cumberland until they get their paychecks. They have made it very clear and they won't be letting the coal they mined leave the area.
It's a situation Governor Matt Bevin says he is closely monitoring. He says he recently contacted the governor of West Virginia and the Governor of Wyoming, where Blackjewel also owns mines, to see what the states can do to help.
"We have assessed every fine that is able to be assessed. We have filed every suit that is able to be filed by the state. We are following every recourse that we have. This will take time sadly," explained Bevin.
Governor Bevin said he also took opportunity to talk to President Donald Trump about the coal situation at yesterday's "Make America Great Again" really in Cincinnati.
"These are the people who elected him. These are the people who are grateful that we have in him a president who fights for those that others, who blow smoke and promise things to, do nothing for," Bevin told LEX 18.
