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Dear mountain lover,
Yesterday, the Obama administration took a small step in the right direction.

The administration announced an agreement between the EPA, Department of Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers that will end the streamlined permitting process for mountaintop removal coal mining.

The agreement also commits the Administration to help diversify and strengthen the Appalachian economy by focusing on clean energy investments and create green jobs in Appalachia.

BUT, we need you to call Obama and ask him to do more. Residents and advocates of coal communities were encouraged by the news, but disappointed in the lack of urgency displayed by the agreement. The announcement falls on the heels of two major blows to coalfield communities — the West Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to approve a second coal silo next to Marsh Fork Elementary School, and severe flooding in May which affected hundreds of homes in West Virginia and Kentucky — more than ever we need to push the administration to take aggressive action.

We applaud the Obama administration’s commitment to recognize and address serious issues surrounding mountaintop removal coal mining — but the administration needs to take the next step to actually end mountaintop removal coal mining today.

That’s why we need you to take action today.

Call the White House today to tell the administration that enforcing regulations is a good start — but that President Obama should take the next step by reversing the Bush Administration’s 2002 changes to the Clean Water Act that allows coal companies to dump their mining waste into our nation’s streams?

Reversing the Bush administration rule change will prevent most new mountaintop removal coal mining in the United States — but to make this reversal permanent, we need Congress to pass the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) to permanently end the worst abuses of Big Coal.

So after you’ve called the White House, please take a moment to email your Senators and Representatives.

Thank you for taking action today.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

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