I hope you will join us as proud co-sponsors of this legislation.
Mountaintop removal coal mining in the Appalachian region produces a tremendous amount of toxic waste that is often recklessly shoved into our headwater streams. In recent years, these "valley fills" have buried hundreds of miles of our waterways, jeopardizing the health of the environment and the people in Appalachia.
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To date, at least one million acres of Appalachia's mountains have been destroyed by mountaintop removal mining, and more than 1200 miles of streams are buried and destroyed by waste. The EPA expects that mountaintop removal will double in the next decade.
If Congress does not intervene, we will lose even more of Appalachia's precious communities and culture, long term economic potential, natural beauty, and abundant ecological resources and services.
This mountaintop removal is doing more than just damaging the scenery in Appalachia. It's literally poisoning the water and putting all of the residents there in jeopardy.
Glad to see that Congressman Cooper is doing something about it. It's just too bad that Congressmen Davis, Duncan, and Wamp--you know, the Congressmen whose districts actually ARE in Appalachia--will most likely vote to protect the President's cronies in the mining industry rather than to protect their own constituents.
Submitted by WhitesCreek on Sat, 11/10/2007 - 07:56.
I've asked Lincoln how he expects to make a bid for governor if he won't stand up and protect his own district from destrutive practices but so far, he's gone dark on the issue.
I support Lincoln, but this one bugs me. It's bigger than he seems to think and will hurt him if he stays on the wrong side of it.
I think somebody needs to show him a map or something.
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 11/14/2007 - 18:04.
There it is... again... somebody not from Appalachia telling us what is best for us. Most people that try to impose their views on us have never even visited the region. As for concern for the residents, without coal mining, there wouldn't be any residents in many of the counties in central Appalachia.
Submitted by WhitesCreek on Wed, 11/14/2007 - 18:33.
And With coal mining, there won't be any Appalachia... period.
So here's a deal...you figure out how to mine coal without sending the mining effluent and runnoff downstream to the rest of the world...And then, you figure out how to burn it without polluting our air, and then you figure out how to do all this without ruining the health of the miners...and then you figure out how to sequester the carbon produced by burning coal...and then I'll support coal mining and mountain top removal in Appalachia.
Mining companies are not producing jobs to any real degree. All they are doing is killing the environment and people. Not only those involved in mining but as many as 60,000 people a year in the USA as a result of the particulate pollution from coal, and we haven't even gotten to the mercury releases.
Have you ever wondered why Tuna is off limits now for pregnant women? it's mercury from coal, for the most part.
Funny you should mention that, anon, because I just got back from a green power presentation by Maryville College students and, of all people, TVA. Here's one thing I learned:
Mountaintop removal is relatively new, developed in the last 40 years. Tourism accounts for more revenue in West VA than coal, but mountaintop removal is destroying what brings tourists. Coal mining counties are some of the poorest in the nation, and where the most wealth is being removed. Coal production is up, but coal mine employment is down because of new technology and mountaintop removal.
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 03/04/2008 - 18:47.
We are in a lawsuit in sequatchie county about whether mountain stone is a mineral. We have all surface rights of our property. is it fair for whoever has the mineral rights to come on our property to cut timber and fence off acres of our property to put equipment to quarry mountain stone off of our property. Our biggest question is, Is mountain stone a mineral?
I've asked Lincoln how he expects to make a bid for governor if he won't stand up and protect his own district from destrutive practices but so far, he's gone dark on the issue.
I support Lincoln, but this one bugs me. It's bigger than he seems to think and will hurt him if he stays on the wrong side of it.
I think somebody needs to show him a map or something.
How refreshing to say I'm proud Jim Cooper is my congressman for a change! Usually I'm trying to explain one of his more bizarre votes.
There it is... again... somebody not from Appalachia telling us what is best for us. Most people that try to impose their views on us have never even visited the region. As for concern for the residents, without coal mining, there wouldn't be any residents in many of the counties in central Appalachia.
And With coal mining, there won't be any Appalachia... period.
So here's a deal...you figure out how to mine coal without sending the mining effluent and runnoff downstream to the rest of the world...And then, you figure out how to burn it without polluting our air, and then you figure out how to do all this without ruining the health of the miners...and then you figure out how to sequester the carbon produced by burning coal...and then I'll support coal mining and mountain top removal in Appalachia.
Mining companies are not producing jobs to any real degree. All they are doing is killing the environment and people. Not only those involved in mining but as many as 60,000 people a year in the USA as a result of the particulate pollution from coal, and we haven't even gotten to the mercury releases.
Have you ever wondered why Tuna is off limits now for pregnant women? it's mercury from coal, for the most part.
This is just to prohibit doing it in such a way that kills people. But I'm sorry if that's too much to ask.
Funny you should mention that, anon, because I just got back from a green power presentation by Maryville College students and, of all people, TVA. Here's one thing I learned:
Mountaintop removal is relatively new, developed in the last 40 years. Tourism accounts for more revenue in West VA than coal, but mountaintop removal is destroying what brings tourists. Coal mining counties are some of the poorest in the nation, and where the most wealth is being removed. Coal production is up, but coal mine employment is down because of new technology and mountaintop removal.
More here:
Link...
We are in a lawsuit in sequatchie county about whether mountain stone is a mineral. We have all surface rights of our property. is it fair for whoever has the mineral rights to come on our property to cut timber and fence off acres of our property to put equipment to quarry mountain stone off of our property. Our biggest question is, Is mountain stone a mineral?