Our mountain collapsed on our road.

 

Dirty Coal Corporations extract COAL using Mountaintop Removal, destroying communities, mountains, ecosystems, water and they're exempt from environmental cleanup costs.

 

We are all connected to Dirty Coal extraction if our electric energy is produced using DIRTY COAL.

 

 

 

Post by Larry Wood.

Our mountain collapsed on our road.

The cliffs above Coal River Road collapsed and severed the only route through most of our communities, just about a mile from our office. We suspect the daily seismic shocks from blasting at the mountaintop removal sites nearby. The state blames the rain.

Here on the front lines at Coal River Mountain Watch, we've warned for years that this day would come. Luckily, no one was hurt. But the road is completely blocked for at least a week, and school resumes Thursday. We are filing a complaint with the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) that the coal company never took proper precautions since we raised the issue over 11 years ago. And we're opposing renewal of the nearest mountaintop removal permit, where violations, including blasting violations, are routine and effective penalties are nonexistent.

Please help us protect our communities by making your tax-deductible donation here today.

Speaking of the OSM, today they responded to our petition that they take over the WV Dept. of Environmental Protection's mine permitting and enforcement functions. They will further evaluate 5 of our 19 allegations, including that the WVDEP fails to address potential flooding impacts and fails to regulate selenium pollution. We are disappointed that they are not going to address sludge dams or illegal permitting, but we're not going to accept continued inaction on these and other issues. Stay tuned: our Citizen Action for Real Enforcement (CARE) campaign is going to stay busy in 2014!

Thanks to your generosity, and especially a sizable stock donation, we exceeded our December goal of $10,000. But we still need all the help you can provide. Please make your year-end tax-deductible donation here today. And please consider recurring monthly donations.

Thank you from the front lines, and Happy New Year!

Vernon Haltom

Executive director, Coal River Mountain Watch