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.
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
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