[conserv13]

I guess the Coast Guard needs a lot of ships to patrol the teeming coastal waters of... WEST VIRGINIA???

West Virginia has a lot of rivers, but not many that I would think are used for interstate or international transport. Why is the Coast Guard in WVA at all?

[Sender]

WV does have a lot of very dangerous chemicals right alongside the rivers. I used to live in Charleston. Remember the tragedy at Union Carbide in Bhopal India a few years ago? The only other place that deadly chemical is stored in bulk is in WV. Many *huge* tanks of ammonia, pesticides, acids, endless rows of rail tank cars, etc. If one of those tanks went, it certainly would be a disaster for anyone living nearby or downwind, not to mention the damage caused by a massive spill into the river...

[BlackbirdSST]

Thank Sen Byrd for that porker! Our rivers are better suited to rafting and fishing! Not sure why the CG is here. Blackbird.

[majordomo]

The Coast Guard patrols all inland navigable waterways. The Kanawha River from about 20 miles south of Charleston, WV all the way to the Ohio River (about 90 miles) is one of those commercially navigable inland waterways and is used heavily by commercial shipping.