Hannah was among 31 people arrested on June 23, 2009, in a protest against mountaintop removal in southern West Virginia, part of a wider campaign to stop the practice in the region. The protesters, who also included NASA climate scientist James E. Hansen, were charged with obstructing officers and impeding traffic after they sat in the middle of State Route 3 outside Massey Energy's Goals Coal preparation plant, "The Charleston Gazette" reported. In a "Democracy Now!" phone interview on June 24, 2009, Hannah spoke briefly on why she went to West Virginia and risked arrest.