Here’s a good reason to sign the new Climate Pledge of Resistance.
Within the next month, the EPA may start approving more than 80 new mountaintop removal mining permits. In my mind, 80 new permits equals 80 mountains.
Early on in the Obama administration, we thought they were moving towards ending this practice which destroys mountains, poisons water and harms communities, but after pressure from the mining industry and various pro-coal politicians they signaled their retreat. Now we could see an entire new round of destruction from these new permits.
To date, 500 mountains have been destroyed (now we’re looking at another 80?), 2000 miles of rivers and streams have been buried and over a million acres of forest cut down. Every week, Appalachia is hit with more force than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
If Obama’s retreat on mountaintop removal continues there won’t be any mountains left in Appalachia.
How much more are we going to take? Get involved now to help stop this horrible practice.
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Thanks, Sparki for this post.
Each of these permits can contain multiple valley fills, too. So in addition to 80 mountains, imagine(at least)160 valleys being FILLED, burying miles of headwaters streams with heavy metals, destroying graveyards and forcing people to become environmental migrants.
Obama should be hanging his head in shame for not giving the people of Appalachia the protection that, as Americans, they deserve from their president.
Great post, You are right–
Where is Obama on this? Let’s not fool ourselves on this- Obama has been a bitter disappointment on clean environment issues.
I got an e-mail form a friend telling me that “we must help Obama find his balls as Obama must have dropped them somewhere after he was sworn in as President”.