Once our mountains are destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining, no one can put them back. But coal operators have a responsibility to clean up their mess. Otherwise our communities are left surrounded by toxic eyesores and polluted water.
Bonding is the process by which coal companies provide financial assurance that they will reclaim the land they have damaged by mining. Currently, weak and inconsistent laws surrounding this practice put the public at risk of having to pick up the tab for the immense destruction of mountaintop removal and other damaging coal mining practices, while the coal industry keeps the profits.
The most irresponsible approach is called self bonding; when a coal company simply promises it will reclaim our land after mining. And if the company can’t clean up its mess? Then the taxpayer is left with the enormous burden of cleaning up the mess. Companies must be forced to set aside bonds for the full cost of reclamation.
We need you to comment today to protect our communities from the outrageous practice of self bonding.
The coal industry is laughing all the way to the bank, and we’re left with dirty water and unstable lands.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is taking steps to limit self bonding — and we need people like you to speak up to make sure the laws are as strong as possible.
Can you help us hold companies responsible to clean up their mess? Let’s get rid of self-bonding and demand full-cost bonding!
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This week, nearly 40 mountain leaders are in Washington, D.C., to speak up to protect our water and reclaim our future — and they need your help!
As the coal industry declines, thousands of jobs have been lost and millions of acres of land have been damaged. We’re excited about new policies that would clean up our land and create jobs, and we need you to join our work for a bright future for Appalachia!
We’re in D.C. to support the RECLAIM Act (H.R. 4456), a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would provide an immediate economic boost in communities struggling with the decline of the coal industry through the release of $1 billion to create opportunities reclaiming abandoned mine lands.
The RECLAIM Act is part of the White House’s POWER+ Plan, a proposed $10 billion initiative to assist communities that have historically relied on coal by growing and diversifying their economies.
These policies present an amazing opportunity for Appalachia — but they won’t happen without your help! Sign the petition and join our fight to clean up coal’s toxic legacy of coal.
Appalachian communities have fueled America for more than 100 years. We are proud that our region is home to many rich assets, including our land, water, heritage and people.
But as you know, we have made great sacrifices to mine, transport and process the coal that powered the nation. Now it’s time to clean up the toxic legacy of coal that haunts so many of our communities, and create economic opportunities in those communities at the same time.
Sign our petition today and join the movement to reclaim Appalachia’s future.
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