Humane Society: horses staying put on mine land

Marcella Chadwick says Sequoia Energy had wanted to move about 80 horses because they were eating vegetation that was planted as part of the company's federally-mandated reclamation of the surface mine site. Coal companies in most cases are required to restore vegetation on former surface mines.

Chadwick says an attorney she enlisted to communicate with Sequoia told her that it has dropped the effort to move the horses.

A person who answered the phone at the office of Sequoia's parent company, Southern Coal Corp. in Roanoke, Va., said no one would be available Friday to comment.