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We’re hearing some promising news coming out of Coal River Mountain.

According to The Charleston Gazette, the EPA is taking a closer look at Massey Energy’s mountaintop removal project at Coal River Mountain strip mine, and questioning whether Massey Energy should have obtained a “dredge and fill” permit under the Clean Water Act.

We’re glad the EPA may be tightening its oversight of Coal River Mountain — but we need to stop mountaintop removal coal mining altogether, and not just tighten oversight on a case by case basis.

Our latest America’s Most Endangered Mountain video illustrates why.

In southwest Virginia, the communities of Appalachia and Andover are threatened by a proposed mountaintop removal project on Ison Rock Ridge.

As Pete Ramey of Wise County, VA says, “It only take one push of a plunger to blow a mountain away and destroy a whole community.”

Watch the video here:
http://www.ilovemountains.org/endangered/

The stories of people like Pete Ramey, Maude Jervis and Angie Honeycutt — all of whom appear in our latest America’s Most Endangered Mountains video — are what keep us committed day in and day out to ending mountaintop removal coal mining.

And here’s something simple that you can do today to help us garner the resources we need to end the travesties unfolding today at Coal River Mountain, Ison Rock Ridge and dozens of other places throughout Appalachia.

Chase Community Giving is holding a contest that allows Facebook users to vote for the non-profit organization of their choice — and we’re in the running. 100 finalists will receive $25,000; the Top 5 winners receive $100,000, and the organization with the most votes receives $1,000,000!

If you’re on Facebook, simply click here to cast your vote for Appalachian Voices in order to support iLoveMountains.org (a joint project between the Alliance for Appalachia and Appalachian Voices):

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/41514

(Note that you must allow the application to access your profile to cast your vote.)

JP Morgan Chase remains one of the biggest funders of mountaintop removal coal mining. Wouldn’t it be great if we were to use their own money to stop the destruction of Appalachia?

Please take a moment to vote for Appalachian Voices today, and forward the Ison Rock Ridge video to your family and friends.

From all of us at iLoveMountains, Appalachian Voices, and the Alliance for Appalachia — have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org