Send a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, and urge him to protect the people and the mountains of Appalachia from the destructive practice of mountaintop removal mining!

Take Action today to join the %adv-participants-epa_1% people who have already called on the EPA to stop mountaintop removal coal mining from destroying Appalachia.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

There is a crisis happening in the Appalachian Mountains.

Mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina is destroying entire mountain ranges, permanently burying hundreds of miles of pristine streams and rivers, deforesting entire ecosystems, attacking people's health, flooding entire communities, and killing a major piece of American culture.

I urge you to adopt regulations that ensure the greatest protections against the harmful practice of mountaintop removal mining.

I urge you to adopt regulations that guarantee mountaintop removal mining permits must follow the Clean Water Act and protect these streams, rivers and headwaters in Appalachia.

According to reports by your agency, coal companies have already permanently buried more than 1,200 miles of streams and razed over 400,000 acres of mountaintops in West Virginia alone.

The Environmental Protection Agency in an October 2005 report estimated that by the end of this decade, over 2,200 square miles mountains in Appalachia will be gone forever. This equals an area greater than the state of Delaware!

There are people in these areas who have lived there for generations and are being strong armed by a practice that is the worst type of coal mining. The locals call it "strip mining on steroids," and they have lost homes and property that have been in their families for generations.

Mountaintop removal mining is destroying a region that was monumental in the development of our nation. The history and culture of the Appalachians is a part of American history, and preserving these mountains, valleys and streams is the first step towards guaranteeing this history will be available for all generations to appreciate.

The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to enforce the Clean Water Act and guarantee that valley fills and millions of tons of waste and debris are not simply dumped into nearby streams and rivers. I and many other Americans urge you to direct staff to protect this important and historical region.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 03, 2006