Tell President Obama: Protect West Virginia from
a massive mountaintop removal mine. .
Dear Paul,
Arch Coal is moving forward with the largest mountaintop removal coal mining operation in West Virginia's history —
but President Obama's White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has the power to step in and block this
disastrous project.
The Environmental Protection Agency had already vetoed a permit for the Spruce Mine in Logan County, but last month, a federal
judge overruled the agency paving the way for the project.1
The court's decision means that the destruction of mountains and burying of streams with 110 million yards of mining waste
could begin very soon — unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in.
Tell the Council on Environmental Quality: Protect West Virginia from mountaintop removal at the Spruce Mine. Click here
to automatically sign the petition.
In situations where agencies within the federal government differ on environmental matters, it is the role of the Council
on Environmental Quality to weigh in and resolve the matter. And by directing the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the Spruce
Mine permit, the CEQ can stop this highly polluting and disastrous project once and for all.
Mountaintop removal mining is a process in which coal companies use explosives to literally blow the tops off of
the mountains, dumping the leftover rocks and dirt into streams and valleys below. The practice is linked with high mortality
rates, contaminated drinking water and increased flooding, among other problems.2
EPA's veto of the permit for expanded mountaintop removal mining at the Big Spruce Mine in Logan County was the right decision
for public health and the environment, but unless the Council on Environmental Quality steps in, this massive mine will soon
begin operations.
West Virginians have been dealing with the devastation of mountaintop removal mining for far too long. Let's make sure the
CEQ know that we expect it to use its power to protect West Virginia's residents, mountains and waterways from dirty and
destructive mountaintop removal mining.
Click below to automatically sign the petition to the White House Council on Environmental Quality:
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6881577&id=38944-3414728-V0xAANx&t=9
Thank you for fighting for public health and the environment in West Virginia.
Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
1. Judge Overturns EPA Veto of Spruce Mine Permit,
West Virginia Gazette, 3/23/12
2. Community Impacts of Mountaintop Removal,
Appalachian Voices
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