From: Earthjustice Alerts <action@earthjustice.org>
Subject: TAKE ACTION: Stop the Dumping of Mining Waste in Our Water
To: "Jim Sconyers" <jim_scon@yahoo.com>
Date: Monday, March 15, 2010, 9:11 AM

TAKE ACTION: Stop the Dumping of Mining Waste in Our Water! CALL: Stop the Dumping of Mining Waste in Our Water! Mining companies are using America's streams and lakes as dumping grounds for millions of tons of solid mining wastes. Call today to stop this destructive practice! Dear Jim, Taking advantage of a loophole that the Bush administration created in Clean Water Act rules, mining companies are using America's streams and lakes as dumping grounds for millions of tons of solid mining wastes. Companies are burying streams with mountaintop removal coal mining waste in Appalachia and are planning to fill in a lake in Alaska with waste from gold mining. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers have the authority to close the waste loophole in the Clean Water Act, and President Obama should instruct the agencies to do so immediately. The mining industry is enormously powerful and will spare no expense in fighting this needed change, so it is important to start the process of fixing this terrible loophole now. But in order to close the Bush loophole, the EPA and the Corps need leadership and immediate direction from the White House to act now, before more of our nation's precious waters are destroyed. Now is the time. Delaying this process will harm our waterways, our communities, our wildlife, and our ecosystems. Please call the White House today, March 15, as a part of the National Protect Waters from Mining Waste Day of Action. If you're unable to call on March 15, the White House still needs to hear from you—please call as soon as you can! Together, we can demonstrate to the White House the urgent need for action to restore the prohibition on dumping mining waste in our water. Make Your Call Today: The White House: 202-456-1414 (9AM–5PM ET) When the White House receptionist answers the phone, please leave a message with him or her, expressing your desire for the President to end dumping of mine waste in our waters. Here's a sample of what you can say (and we hope you will add your personal touch, too): "Hello! My name is Jim Sconyers, and I am calling from Terra Alta, West Virginia. "I'm calling to ask President Obama to end the dumping of mining waste in our water. Please restore the prohibition on filling waters with waste immediately. "Mining companies are using the 2002 loophole in the Clean Water Act rule to bury streams and lakes with untreated mining wastes. "From the mountaintop removal mines in Appalachia to the Kensington gold mine in Alaska, mining waste is destroying our streams and lakes. "President Obama should direct the EPA to close the mine waste dumping loophole immediately. Thank you." For more information on this issue, please visit Earthjustice's website. Thank you for taking the time to call! And please keep in touch: email action@earthjustice.org to tell us if you called, and about your experience. — Earthjustice Because the earth needs a good lawyer ©2010 Earthjustice | 426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 | 510-550-6700 | action@earthjustice.org Alert Tools Photo Credit Top: Mountaintop removal mining explosion. Bottom: Water polluted by mining waste. Credit: John Kalucki. View online: Having trouble viewing this email? View it in a browser. This email was delivered to you by Earthjustice. Update your personal information or remove your email address from Earthjustice's email list through your Subscription Management Page or by emailing Earthjustice. Powered by: