EPA objects to 3 more permits!

Contacts: Oliver Bernstein, Sierra Club, 512.477.2152
Kathy Selvage, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards 276.523.4380 or 276.328.1223

Appalachia, Virginia — In a victory for community members and for clean water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the “nationwide 21” mining permit for A&G Coal’s massive Ison Rock Ridge mountaintop removal coal mine in Southwest Virginia. The news comes only weeks after a delegation of Appalachian coalfield residents met with the EPA in Washington, D.C. urging the Agency to take quick action to protect their communities from the ravages of mountaintop removal coal mining. The bold move is the latest clear signal that the Obama Administration is taking action on mountaintop removal coal mining and supports clean energy solutions and green jobs. Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards (SAMS), a community organization based in Wise County, Virgina, and the Sierra Club have worked for two years to oppose strip mining on Ison Rock Ridge.

“This is a great day! I am hopeful it means the beginning of the end of the wholesale destruction of the Appalachian mountains, its watersheds, its streams, its people, and its soul,” said Kathy Selvage, vice president of SAMS.

The Army Corps had been relying on a cookie-cutter “nationwide” permit for the Ison Rock Ridge mine, but the EPA cites Clean Water Act concerns in its recommendation that the Army Corps revoke the permit for this mine. By dumping its mining waste into valleys and waterways, the Ison Rock Ridge mountaintop removal coal mining operation would be extremely destructive. Residents are also concerned with the proximity of the proposed mine to their homes, as portions of the permit are within the corporate limits of the town of Appalachia and surround several other nearby communities.

“I’m so relieved and grateful the EPA has taken this action.” said Gary Bowman, whose home is only hundreds of feet away from a proposed sediment pond for the permit. “We were stuck between a rock and a hard place with this permit and are so happy that we will be able to stay in our home.”

The company that operates the Ison Rock Ridge site, A&G Coal, is known for its role in the August 20, 2004 tragedy in which a boulder from an A&G strip mine rolled down a hillside and crashed into a family’s Wise County home below, killing a sleeping three-year-old child in his bedroom.

“The days of reckless, unchecked destruction of Appalachian mountains are numbered,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign. “There is much more work to do, but President Obama’s EPA has taken bold action on mountaintop removal coal mining, and we applaud their intervention.”

The Ison Rock Ridge permit in Wise County, Virginia, covers nearly 1,300 acres and would destroy three miles of streams and fill nine lush valleys with more than 11 million cubic yards of rock and dirt. The massive mountaintop removal coal mine would surround the community of Derby, bringing destruction within a half mile of the historic district, eliminating the community’s tourism appeal. Other nearby affected communities include Andover, Inman, and Osaka and the Town of Appalachia.

“I’m walking on air,” said Derby resident Bob Mullins, who recently returned from a meeting with the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “I feel like we’ve finally accomplished something. This is a great victory to start with and now it’s time to get our friends and neighbors together to continue fighting for the cause and building this movement that is truly gaining momentum.”

Mountaintop removal mining is a destructive form of coal mining that has already contaminated or destroyed nearly 2,000 miles of streams. The mining poisons drinking water, lays waste to wildlife habitat, increases the risk of flooding and wipes out entire communities. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/MTR or www.samsva.org.

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The Appalachia Restoration Act Press Release – 03/26/2009

U.S. SENATORS CARDIN, ALEXANDER INTRODUCE BILL TO PROTECT STREAMS FROM MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL COAL MINING WASTE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
—————–
Contact:
Lenny Kohm, Campaign Director, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500 / lenny@appvoices.org
Jamie Goodman, Communications Coordinator, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500 / jamie@appvoices.org
—————–

Two U.S. senators from coal-producing states introduced bipartisan legislation yesterday that would protect Appalachia from mountaintop removal coal mining.

The Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696), introduced by Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), would amend the Clean Water Act to prevent the dumping of toxic mining waste from mountaintop removal coal mining into headwater streams and rivers.

“My goal is to put a stop to one of the most destructive mining practices that has already destroyed some of America’s most beautiful and ecologically significant regions,” said Senator Cardin, Chairman of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee of the Committee on Environment and Public Works. “This legislation will put a stop to the smothering of our nation’s streams and water systems and will restore the Clean Water Act to its original intent.”

Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extreme form of surface mining where explosives are used to blast up to 1000 feet of mountaintop in order to reach thin seams of coal. The remaining rubble, or overburden-which contains toxic heavy metals-is dumped into adjacent valleys, contaminating headwater streams where drinking water supplies originate for millions of Americans. More than 1200 miles of streams and over 500 mountains in the central and southern Appalachians have been devastated due to mountaintop removal.

“It is not necessary to destroy our mountaintops in order to have enough coal,” said Senator Alexander. “Millions of tourists spend tens of millions of dollars in Tennessee every year to enjoy the natural beauty of our mountains-a beauty that, for me, and I believe for most Tennesseans, makes us proud to live [there].”

The bill is a companion to the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) currently in the U.S. House of Representatives. The House bill was introduced March 4th by Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) along with Congressmen Dave Reichert (R-WA) and John Yarmuth (D-KY), and currently has 134 bipartisan cosponsors.

A number of recent studies, such as one by the Appalachian Regional Commission, report on the tremendous potential for employment growth with green jobs, while employment in coal has been on a downward trajectory for decades. In West Virginia alone, coal mining once provided over 120,000 jobs, but that number has dropped to less than 20,000. Even traditional underground mining provides far more jobs than mountaintop removal coal mining.

“This is not an either/or choice, it’s about saving the environment and creating new jobs,” said Dr. Matthew Wasson, Director of Programs at the environmental non-profit group Appalachian Voices. “Mountaintop removal does the same thing to our economy that it does to our mountains. Ending mountaintop removal will allow sustainable, long term economic growth to flourish in Appalachia.”

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, counties with a high concentration of mountaintop removal mines are some of the most impoverished in the United States.

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For text of the bill, please visit http://ilovemountains.org/ftp/lobbying/ara/AppalachianRestorationAct.pdf
For photographs or video b-roll of mountaintop removal coal mining, please contact Jamie Goodman at 828-262-1500 or jamie@appvoices.org

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Hope renewed across the Appalachian coalfields: Obama Administration suspends mountaintop removal permits for further review

Today the Associated Press broke the news that the EPA is putting hundreds of mountaintop removal coal mining permits on hold until it can evaluate the projects’ ecological impacts. We thought you would would be interested in the reaction from Appalachia, including people who are working to stop mountaintop removal coal mining and individuals who live in the coalfields.

Photos, video B-Roll, and interviews available upon request.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

————-
CONTACT:
Dr. Matthew Wasson, Executive Director, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500
Jamie Goodman, Communications Coordinator, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500
————-

Community and environmental groups across Appalachia strongly applauded the EPA’s Tuesday decision to delay and review permits for two mountaintop removal coal mining operations. The EPA’s action calls into question over 100 pending valley fill permits that threaten to bury hundreds more miles of headwater streams.

Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extreme form of surface mining where explosives are used to blast up to 1000 feet of mountaintop in order to reach thin seams of coal. The remaining rubble, or overburden, which contains toxic heavy metal particles, is dumped into adjacent valleys burying headwater streams. Over 1200 miles of streams and 500 mountains have been destroyed due to mountaintop removal.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama expressed concern over mountaintop removal, stating “we have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal than simply blowing the tops off mountains.”

“This decision illustrates a dramatic departure from the energy policies that are destroying the mountains, the culture, the rivers and forests of Appalachia, and our most deeply held American values,” said Bobby Kennedy Jr., Chairman of the Waterkeeper Alliance. “By this decision, President Obama signals our embarking on a new energy future that promises wholesome, dignified, prosperous and healthy communities that treasure our national resources.”

Mountaintop removal coal mining, a heavily mechanized process, employs far fewer workers than underground mining. Coal mining once provided over 120,000 jobs in West Virginia alone, but that number has dropped to less than 20,000. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, counties with a high concentration of mountaintop removal mines are some of the most impoverished counties in the United States.

Groups in the region view the recent EPA decision as an acknowledgement of the destruction mountaintop removal coal mining inflicts on the environment and communities of central Appalachia. They hope that, with the halt of new mountaintop removal mining permits, there will be room for green industry and that the president’s green jobs stimulus and renewable energy development plans will reach the Appalachian coalfields.

“Not only does mountaintop removal coal mining destroy mountains, it also destroys the economic potential of Appalachia,” said Dr. Matthew Wasson, Director of Programs for the environmental non-profit organization Appalachian Voices. “This decision rekindles hope for a new economy in Appalachia built around green jobs and renewable energy,” Wasson said.

Carl Shoupe, a retired coal miner and member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, echoed Wasson’s sentiment that this decision is a step in the right direction. “We finally have an administration in place that uses scientific reasoning to make decisions instead of ideology,” Shoupe said. “We fought for this for years. I hope the EPA comes through and permanently stops the permits in our community.”

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Clean Water Protection Act Introduced

Press Release from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth

Effort Renewed in Congress to Protect Eastern Kentucky Waterways

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2009

CONTACTS:
Teri Blanton, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, 606-859-1648, teri@kftc.org
Stephanie Pistello, Alliance for Appalachia, 917-664-5511 Stephanie@appvoices.org
Jennifer Krimm (Rep. Ben Chandler), 202-225-4706
Stuart Perelmuter (Rep. John Yarmuth), 202-225-5401

Two downstream lawmakers are leading a broad bipartisan effort in Congress to protect the waters of Eastern Kentucky and Central Appalachia.

Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville and Rep. Ben Chandler of Central Kentucky, along with 117 of their colleagues, are cosponsors of the Clean Water Protection Act, reintroduced Wednesday in Congress.

The bill will protect communities and water quality by outlawing the dumping of toxic mining waste into streams.

“The damage being caused by mountaintop removal is irreparable, and each day that we fail to act our water is poisoned, our land is destroyed, and our communities are harmed,” Rep. Yarmuth said. “We must enact the Clean Water Protection Act and put an end to the destruction that is devastating the natural resources for families and communities in Kentucky and throughout the region.”

“The Clean Water Protection Act is much-needed legislation to safeguard Kentucky’s fragile streams and creeks while maintaining a strong and viable coal industry,” said U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler. “In these hard economic times, Kentucky enjoys some of the lowest energy costs in the nation. However, we don’t have to sacrifice our environment, our watershed and our communities to do so.”

The CWPA was introduced to address a 2002 Bush administration executive rule change that altered the long-standing definition of “fill material” in the Clean Water Act. The new definition permits mining waste to be used to fill streams, allowing coal companies to dump millions of tons of rubble, or “excess spoil” into nearby valleys after they blast apart Kentucky’s mountaintops.

The resultant “valley fills” have buried thousands of acres of forests and hundreds of miles of streams, including the headwaters of the Kentucky, Upper Cumberland, Big Sandy and Licking rivers.

As a result, sedimentation is the number one pollutant in eastern Kentucky streams.

“This bipartisan legislation is a simple way to protect water quality and the quality of life for those affected by mountaintop mining,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, the bill’s author and chief sponsor. “It is unacceptable to allow the excess spoil from this type of mining to be dumped in mountain streams where it can pollute waterways, and in some cases potentially endanger the lives of area residents.”

“The federal government should not continue to give massive mining companies a free pass to dump their waste into nearby streams, and should instead protect residents who have been negatively impacted by this activity for too long.”

The Clean Water Protection Act has taken on an increased urgency following a widely critiqued U.S. Fourth Circuit Court decision last month involving a West Virginia case. The court ruled that coal companies can dump their wastes without acting to minimize stream destruction or conducting adequate environmental reviews.

Several eastern Kentucky residents were in Washington in January with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth to sign up members of Congress as cosponsors of the Clean Water Protection Act. They plan to go back later this month, along with allies from other central Appalachian states, western coal mining states and several Native American tribes to strengthen that support.

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Clean Water Protection Act Introduced

Press Release from Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.

LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO PROHIBIT DUMPING OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE INTO RIVERS AND STREAMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2009
CONTACT: Andrew Souvall / Pallone (202) 225-4671
Abigail Shilling / Reichert (202) 225-7761
Stuart Perelmuter / Yarmuth (202) 225-5401

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr (D-NJ), Dave Reichert (R-WA), and John Yarmuth (D-KY) were joined by 114 of their colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation today that would prohibit the dumping of industrial waste into rivers and streams.

The Clean Water Protection Act of 2009 protects the definition of ‘fill material’ in the Clean Water Act from being expanded to include mining wastes and other pollutants. The legislation restores the prohibition on using waste as “fill” that had been included in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ regulations since 1977.

The legislation will create a statutory definition of “fill material” that expressly excludes waste materials and will clarify environmental law consistent with the purpose of the Clean Water Act- to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.

Since 1970, more than 470 mountains in central Appalachia have been blown to bits and a million and a half acres of hardwood forests have been destroyed due to mountaintop removal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported in 2003 that more than 1,200 miles of headwater streams were buried and polluted by the toxic waste from this destructive method of mining. The report also found that the impacts of mountaintop removal valley fills will ultimately have a “disproportionately large impact on the total aquatic genetic diversity of the nation.”

The health problems caused by exposure to these chemicals and heavy metals include cancer, organ failure and learning disabilities. In addition, there have been multiple cases of children suffering from asthma, headaches, nausea and other symptoms likely due to toxic contamination from coal dust.

“This bipartisan legislation is a simple way to protect water quality and the quality of life for those affected by mountaintop mining,” Pallone said. “It is unacceptable to allow the excess spoil from this type of mining to be dumped in mountain streams where it can pollute waterways, and in some cases potentially endanger the lives of area residents. The federal government should not continue to give massive mining companies a free pass to dump their waste into nearby streams, and should instead protect residents who have been negatively impacted by this activity for too long.

“We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our environment, and this legislation is a strong measure of good stewardship for our waterways, and the communities around them,” Reichert said. “Our children – and future generations – will be protected through this bipartisan legislation.”

“The damage being caused by mountain top removal is irreparable, and each day that we fail to act our water is poisoned, our land is destroyed, and our communities are harmed,” Yarmuth said. “We must enact the Clean Water Protection Act and put an end to the destruction that is devastating the natural resources for families and communities in Kentucky and throughout the region.”

Mountaintop removal is a mining method where the top of a mountain is blown off to extract thin seams of coal. It permanently destroys streams, forests and mountains. The broken rock, or “excess spoil” from this process is usually dumped into nearby valleys, creating “valley fills” that cover hundreds of acres of land and bury hundreds of miles of streams.

On February 13, 2009, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, overturned a federal judge’s ruling that required greater environmental review of permits for mountaintop removal in West Virginia. The Court ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can issue Clean Water Act permits for valley fills without more extensive reviews. This ruling was a reversal of a U.S. District judge’s ruling that the Corps was not requiring enough environmental review before issuing these permits.

The lawmakers believe that while this decision was a great victory for coal mine operators in Appalachia, it was a terrible defeat for the communities in that region. The ruling will permit mining companies to conduct devastating mountaintop removal coal mining without acting to minimize stream destruction or conducting strong environmental reviews. Today, dozens of permits could be expedited as a result of this ruling.

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Clean Water Protection Act Introduced

Press Release from the Alliance for Appalachia

 
Clean Water Protection Act Introduced in Congress with 117 Cosponsors:
Act Would Protect Mountain Streams and Communities

CONTACT:
Rep. Frank Pallone, (202) 225-4671
For Additional Quotes or Interviews, Hi-Resolution Images and other information contact:
     Stephanie Pistello, (917) 664-5511 Stephanie@appvoices.org
     The Alliance for Appalachia TheAllianceForAppalachia.org

For a list of current co-sponsors visit:
TheAllianceforAppalachia.org/cwpa-cosponsors
iLoveMountains.org/action/write_your_rep

WASHINGTON, DC – The Clean Water Protection Act has just been reintroduced by Congressmen Frank Pallone, Jr (D-NJ), John Yarmuth (D-KY), and Dave Reichert (R-WA) with 117 Cosponsors, including 17 members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee into the United States House of Representatives. The bill will protect communities and water quality by outlawing the dumping of mining waste into streams.

“The Clean Water Protection Act is the first broad Congressional initiative aimed at reversing the Bush Administration’s eight-year effort to savage our national waterways and the popular laws that protect them,” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr said, explaining his support of the bill.

The Clean Water Protection Act was introduced to address a 2002 Bush administration executive rule change that altered the long-standing definition of “fill material” in the Clean Water Act. The new definition permits mining waste to be used to fill streams, allowing companies to blast apart mountains for coal and place the resulting millions of tons of rubble, or “excess spoil” into nearby valleys, creating “valley fills” that cover hundreds of acres of land and bury hundreds of miles of streams.

“Congress meant for the Clean Water Act to protect our nation’s water resources; the Administrative rule change endangers those resources,” said Rep. Pallone, the author of the legislation. “The dangerous precedent set by the Bush Administration’s rule change undermines the Clean Water Act.”

The Clean Water Protection Act has taken on an increased urgency following a widely critiqued 4th Circuit Court decision February 13th that allows companies to conduct mountaintop removal without acting to minimize stream destruction or conducting adequate environmental reviews.

“We’re hopeful the Obama administration, which has said they are opposed to mountaintop removal coal mining, will be responsive to the public outcry against mountaintop removal,” said Ann League, of Save Our Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee. “The 4th Circuit Court decision makes it even more urgent that the president and Congress move quickly to stop this destruction.”

At the close of the 110th Congress, 153 co-sponsors had signed the Clean Water Protection Act. Members of the regional coalition The Alliance for Appalachia are confident that the bill could pass the House in the 111th Congress.

“On one side of the debate, you have a majority of the public who wants to end mountaintop removal, you have a President that agrees, you have a rich and vibrant grassroots movement within the Appalachian coalfields working to protect their communities, and you have a Congress that is promoting clean energy and environmental issues,” said JW Randolph of coalition member Appalachian Voices. “On the wrong side of the debate are less than a handful of senior congressmen and senators who are promoting devastating Bush-era rules.”

“Washington is finally starting to pay attention to our struggles in Appalachia,” said Carolyn Van Zant, a West Virginia volunteer with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, who traveled over seven hours to Washington at the end of January to encourage legislators to support the bill. “Over 470 of our mountains have been destroyed, and over 1,400 miles of streams have been buried. My county, Mingo County, has some of the poorest health and highest poverty in the United States. Mountaintop removal is ruining our community with blasts and flooding – and it is literally making us sick.”

“We live in a so called free country–but our basic needs are not being met. In the US today, clean water is a luxury – a luxury my family does not have access to,” said Erica Urias, a member of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth.

The Alliance for Appalachia is a regional coalition of 13 groups in 5 states working to end mountaintop removal coal mining and support the creation of a just, sustainable economy in Appalachia. Members include: Coal River Mountain Watch, SouthWings, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Save Our Cumberland Mountains, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, The Appalachian Citizens Law Center, Appalshop, Heartwood, Mountain Association for Community Economic Development and Appalachian Voices.

Visit TheAllianceforAppalachia.org for more information.

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The good news, bad news, and good news again!

So its been a very interesting couple of days. As promised in the blog title, I’ve got good, bad, then good news to report.

Most importantly, we JUST found out that Bank of America, one of the biggest backers of mountaintop removal coal mining companies, revised their policy on coal. Get this, they will no longer be funding mountaintop removal operations! Yeah, we couldnt believe it either! This is a huge falling domino in a 30 year campaign to end destruction of Appalachian mountains.

To everyone at Bank of America, thank you for doing the right thing. We applaud you.

So, some bad news. Yesterday, we found out that the EPA signed off on an 11th hour Bush Administration proposal to weaken the stream buffer zone rule, which regulates waste disposal at surface mines. But not to worry. There is a ground swell of opposition to the change, in Congress and around country, and President-elect Obama will have the power to roll back the rule once he’s in office.

Last, but not least, more good news. During the campaign, President-elect Barack Obama pledged to end mountaintop removal coal mining.

“We’re tearing up the Appalachian Mountains because of our dependence on fossil fuels,” Obama said in Lexington, Kentucky in August of 2007. “We have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal than simply blowing the tops off mountains.”

Today, we launched a major campaign asking President-elect Obama to deliver on his campaign pledge – and to do so within the first 100 days of his presidency. And After only 12 hours, 1,700 people sent letters to Mr. Obama. He’s heard us loud and clear.

Thanks again for everyones support. Till next time, onward and upward!

– – Benji Burrell, Technologist
iLoveMountains.org

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New Online Video Series Kicks Off, Shows the Real Cost of Coal to America’s Most Endangered Mountains

Contact:
Joel Finkelstein or Kate Geller, (202) 822-5200
Benji Burrell (804) 662-0964

BOONE, NC – Advocates for the mountains and coalfield residents today launched a new series of online videos showing the looming danger to some of America’s most special places: the Appalachian mountains, which are home to a vibrant and indelible culture, stunning biodiversity and enormous economic potential. The videos, at iLoveMountains.org, tell the stories of individuals and communities facing a future where their natural heritage is at risk of being blown up by mountaintop removal coal mining.

“We can find better ways to generate electricity without destroying communities,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Executive Director of Appalachian Voices, which created the videos. “Though too many mountains have been lost, there are many more that can still be saved – and their stories need to be told. Justice must be served to the communities of Appalachia.”

Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extremely destructive form of strip mining found throughout Appalachia, with some mines as big as the island of Manhattan. Coalfield residents say that it tears apart communities, destroys any chance of economic development, poisons water supplies, pollutes the air and destroys our nation’s natural heritage – while only making the climate crisis worse. Features of this new campaign include:

America’s Most Endangered Mountains Videos
http://ilovemountains.org/endangered
The interactive map showcases 10 mountain communities facing a future where their natural heritage is at risk of being blown up by mountaintop removal coal mining. The stories featured in the videos show the reality on the ground in the Appalachian coalfields. Viewers are encouraged to spread the word and support the featured community, with videos that are easily emailed or embedded on any blog or webpage. Like the updated Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Layer in Google Earth, this map incorporates the latests videos, maps, and coal tracking tools from iLoveMountains.org.

The Blogger’s Challenge
http://ilovemountains.org/bloggers-challenge
The ultimate resource for bloggers interested in writing about mountaintop removal coal mining which includes embeddable video, coal tracking widgets, news and blog post headline tickers, and customizable “Spread the Word” widgets. These tools will encourage and incubate a community of concerned bloggers who spread the word, collaborate, and take action. The Blogger’s Challenge page also includes a “Blogger’s Impact” map, which shows where the campaign has spread around the country as a result of the challenge.

Updated “Appalachian Mountaintop Removal” in Google Earth
http://ilovemountains.org/google_earth_tutorial/
The most advanced content in the Google Earth’s Global Awareness layer now includes the latest videos, mapping, and coal tracking tools available on iLoveMountains.org. In 3-D and with out leaving home, one can take a high resolution tour of a mountaintop removal and see high resolution overlays of mountains before and after mining. The “My Connection” coal tracking tool lets Americans from Maine to California enter their zipcode and see how their electricity is connected to mountaintop removal. With video, stories, and photos, the “Endangered Mountain Videos” and the the “National Memorial for the Mountains” showcase communities threatened or devastated by mountaintop removal mining.

“For too long politicians have written off mountaintop removal coal mining as solely an environmental issue, but these videos show that it is so much more,” said Hitt. “The electricity that comes into your home when you flip your light switch may come at the cost of a community’s health, its economy, and even its culture. And that means it’s up to you to do something about it.”

The effort to end mountaintop removal has been gaining steam over the past year. As of today, the leading Congressional plan to end the practice has 140 co-sponsors – dozens more than in the last Congress, with months still to go.

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Mountaintop Advocates Open New Front in Fight Against Coal Challenge Billion-Dollar Government Giveaways for Not Considering Cost to the Mountains

Contact: Joel Finkelstein, (202) 822-5200

BOONE, NC and WASHINGTON, DC – Advocates for the mountains and coalfield residents today opened a new front in the fight against destructive coal mining, filing suit in Washington, D.C. District Court to stop federal investment in new power plants that would enshrine coal for another generation.

The suit, filed by the North Carolina-based Appalachian Voices and Canary Coalition, states that the federal government shouldn’t be in the business of subsidizing coal plants without knowing the true environmental costs – including impacts of ultra-destructive mountaintop removal coal mining. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included $1.65 billion in tax incentives for new coal plants, $1 billion of which has been allocated to nine projects around the country.

“The fact is that there’s no such thing as clean coal as long as our mountains are getting clear-cut, blown up and bulldozed down,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Executive Director of Appalachian Voices. “Right now, the electricity that powers your home may well come from mountaintop removal coal. We need fewer coal plants, not more.”

Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extremely destructive form of strip mining found throughout Appalachia, with some mines as big as the island of Manhattan. Coalfield residents say that it tears apart communities, poisons water supplies, pollutes the air and destroys our nation’s natural heritage – while only making the climate crisis worse.

“Members of the Canary Coalition and all people who live, work or vacation in western North Carolina are feeling the impact of existing coal-burning power plants on our health and the environment,” said Avram Friedman, Executive Director of the Canary Coalition. “Asthma related to ozone pollution is the largest cause of absenteeism in our public schools. Emphysema plagues the elderly in this region. Heart and lung disease related to fine particulate sulfur dioxide has been documented by the American Lung Association. We are threatened by tropical diseases migrating north due to global warming caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The status quo of air quality in western North Carolina is unacceptable. Building and operating a new coal-burning power plant such as Duke Energy’s planned expansion at Cliffside is unacceptable.”

Of the nine experimental coal facilities that have received tax incentives, none have conducted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) looking at the impact of coal on the environment – as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The nine facilities include a Duke Energy projects in Edwardsport, IN and in Rutherford and Cleveland Counties, NC; a Mississippi Power Company project; an E.ON U.S. & Louisville Gas and Electric project in Bedford, KY; a Carson Hydrogen Power project in Carson, CA; a TX Energy project in Longview, TX; a Tampa Electric project in Polk County, FL (that is currently delayed); and two anonymous coal gasification projects.

The effort to end mountaintop removal has been gaining steam over the past year. As of today, the leading Congressional plan to end the practice has 129 co-sponsors – dozens more than last Congress, and only halfway through this session.

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ILoveMountains.org Recognized Nationwide for Innovation and Impact

iLoveMountains is being recognized nationwide as one of the most innovative advocacy sites on the web.

* CNET pointed to the National Memorial for the Mountains as an example of the tremendous power of Google Earth to change the real world.

* A blogger on NetSquared included iLoveMountains in his 2006 list of Best Internet Marketing for a Cause.

* In December, the iLoveMountains.org website was discussed on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show, and she posted a link for her listeners.

* Worldwatch Institute has helped spread the word by covering mountaintop removal and iLoveMountains.org.

In their article “Hi-Tech Advocacy in Action” the editors of FundraisingSuccess magazine featured iLoveMountains as one of the best examples of using the web to involve and connect with thousands of new supporters. According to the article:

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, online advocacy campaigns are not only possible, but they can bring an issue located hundreds or thousands of miles away right to constituents’ backyard in ways that direct mail can’t.

The “I Love Mountains” campaign is a perfect example of this. A collaboration by local, state and regional organizations across Appalachia working together to end mountaintop removal, a type of coal mining where the tops of mountains are removed and mined for coal, I Love Mountains is operated through iLoveMountains.org, a site produced by Boone, N.C.-based environmental organization Appalachian Voices. It uses cutting-edge technology to inform and involve visitors in their efforts to save the mountains.

How does it do this? One of the coolest involvement features of the site is the pledge sign-up. When visitors fill in their name and contact information pledging to help stop mountaintop removal, they’re taken to a “personal impact page” that displays each person who has pledged as a dot on a map of the United States. A pledger can pass the word on to friends and invite them to pledge, and then their page will chart the number of friends that have been invited to support the campaign, and the number of friends their friends have invited. The personal impact page also shows the top 10 most active participants and the number of friends they’ve passed the word on to. These names link to each pledger’s personal impact page and, from there, connect to the personal impact pages of any of the friends they’ve invited.

“You can actually see the network of your influence spreading throughout the country” Mary Anne Hitt, executive director of Appalachian Voices, says.

National Memorial for the Mountains Earns Nationwide Coverage

An Associated Press Story on the National Memorial for the Mountains printed on November 4th has been picked up by newspapers and television station websites across the country. The story was written by Kentucky-based AP Writer Samira Jafari and puts the devastation caused by mountaintop removal in a human context. The story leads from the perspective of Benny Campbell, a resident of the Kentucky coalfields:

Benny Campbell experiences mountaintop mining day and night. His bed is rattled by the blasting. Gray dust blankets his porch and car if a few days go by without rain. His electricity goes out repeatedly when the coal miners accidentally knock down power lines.

But the worst thing of all, he says, is that the mountain peaks that once loomed over his lifelong eastern Kentucky home have been flattened by dynamite and bulldozers.

“When I was young, it was a really pretty place,” said Campbel, 53, who lives in a hollow called Bull Creek near Vicco. “Now it’s just a rock pile. You can’t do nothing with it.”

The story goes on to tell how iLoveMountains.org uses new technologies – particularly Google Earth – to lift the cloak of secrecy that has allowed mountaintop removal to continue.

Now environmentalists have found a way to let the rest of the world see what mountaintop coal mining has done to Appalachia: They have started a Web site that uses the Google Earth database to enable people to see aerial reconnaissance photos of the scarred countryside.

“The point is mountaintop removal has gone on under a cloak of secrecy,” said Mary Anne Hitt, executive director of Appalachian Voices, one of a half-dozen environmental groups involved in the Internet campaign. “Unless you have the experience of flying over the region in a small plane, it’s hard to understand the scale of mountaintop removal.”

Below is a list of media outlet websites currently running the story:

Blogs linking to iLoveMountains.org

• Society and Technology
• Net Squared
• Google Karten
• All Points Blog
• Worldwright
• FutureLawyer
• Ed Cone
• Matthew Gross Deride and Conquer
• Ecological Hope
• Graphics Culture and Bad Grammar
• Ecorazzi
• The Greener Side
• Jon’s Radio
• Google Earth Blog
• Sierra Club Compass
• Appalachian Greens
• We Love Mountains
• The Mahablog
• Blogging Poet
• Alternative Energy Blog
• Ogle Earth
• Exile on Jones Street
• From the Desk of Suzy Nees
• It’s Getting Hot in Here
• While the Earth Burns
• The Real Paul Jones

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