Tell President Obama: Stop the massive mountaintop removal mine in West Virginia
Jos Nelson, CREDO Action
Dear Patrick,
Arch Coal is moving forward with the largest mountaintop removal coal mining operation in West Virginia's history — but President Obama's White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has the power to step in and block this disastrous project.
The Environmental Protection Agency had already vetoed a permit for the Spruce Mine, but last month, a federal judge overruled the agency paving the way for the project.1
The court's decision means that the destruction of mountains and burying of streams could begin very soon — unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in. We need activists from all over the country to let President Obama know we're watching this decision.
In situations where agencies within the federal government differ on environmental matters, it is the role of the Council on Environmental Quality to weigh in and resolve the matter. And by directing the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the Spruce Mine permit, the CEQ can stop this highly polluting and disastrous project once and for all.
Mountaintop removal mining is a process in which coal companies use explosives to literally blow the tops off of the mountains, dumping the leftover rocks and dirt into streams and valleys below. The practice is linked with high mortality rates, contaminated drinking water and increased flooding, among other problems.2
EPA's veto of the permit for expanded mountaintop removal mining at the Big Spruce Mine in Logan County was the right decision for public health and the environment, but unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in, this massive mine will soon begin operations.
Appalachian states like West Virginia have been dealing with the devastation of mountaintop removal mining for far too long. Let's make sure the CEQ knows that we expect it to use its power to protect West Virginia's residents, mountains and waterways from dirty and destructive mountaintop removal mining.
Click below to automatically sign the petition to the White House Council on Environmental Quality:
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881713&id=39097-1647563-W1C%3Dx5x&t=9
Thank you for fighting mountaintop removal coal mining.
Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
1. Judge Overturns EPA Veto of Spruce Mine Permit, West Virginia Gazette, 3/23/12
2. Community Impacts of Mountaintop Removal, Appalachian Voices
