Moutaintop Coal Mining is literally blowing the top off of the iconic Appalachian skyline. High explosives blast loose the very stones of the mountain, and the scraps are shoved into valleys and streams, forever changing the topography of the mountain range and causing massive water pollution. The biological diversity of one of the planet's oldest mountain ranges is at risk of being devistated by a recent court ruling which states that the Clean Water Act 'as written' will not protect streams. According to The Stop Mountaintop Removal Campaign 'About 100 mountaintop removal mining permits were on hold pending this case. The ruling potentially opens the floodgates for more destruction in Appalachia. These permits will destroy 432 valleys and 213 miles of streams in Kentucky and West Virginia alone.'So what can we do? Tell them to rewrite the Clean Water Act so it DOES IT'S JOB! And to not allow Mountaintop Removal Mining to do any more irreversible damage to one of the most geographically and culturally unique locations in America. You can do so by sending a message to our leaders through both The Sierra Club campaign, and the Stop Mountaintop Removal Campaign.
Sierra Club's message (Video)
Stop Mountaintop Removal Campaign
2 comments:
Yes I totally agree with you. We must preserve this old and great mountain or atleast prevent the water from being polluted. The government must take some action against this. Thanks for posting about this topic.
Have you ever read "Night Comes to the Cumberlands" by Harry Caudill? I sent a copy of it to grandma if you ever want to check it out. It's one of the first exposes of what goes on in the Appalachian mining towns, written in the 60s. Also, there is a documentary called "Stranger with a Camera" that you might want to check out. It's about what happens when you surprise a mountain man on his homestead.
Post a Comment