Enviro News Magazine Covers Mountaintop Removal

LINK TV is an online TV program supported by notables like Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte, recently ran a piece about mountaintop removal in their news program. Its a very dramatic piece and will get you fired up. But my only wish is that they showed more of the middle ground, less of the anger and more of the sustained passion that so many people have. Not that anger is not justified or have its place, but there are more nuances to this mountaintop removal movement. As a movement, we need to learn to talk to those who support mountaintop removal, because, most people want the same things- security for their families.

We do need to attract economic options to Appalachian coal regions that does cost people their health, their mountains and their communities. But it will be difficult to do that when mountains are blasted, streams are buried and polluted, and drinking water is orange from heavy metal and smells like sulfur. But we will prevail- we have a national movement. If you are not already, please join us today.

About Sandra Diaz

With Colombian roots, a Philadelphia, Pa.-childhood, and more than a decade in Florida before joining Appalachian Voices, Sandra served as AV's North Carolina campaign coordinator and driving force behind the Red, White & Water campaign from 2007 to 2013.