Mountop removal for mining on hiatus, thanks to Obama administration

Dear Nathan,

Congratulations! Due to your efforts, the Obama Administration has stopped the rubber-stamping of valley fill permits associated with mountaintop removal mining.

The decision today by the Army Corps of Engineers to suspend the Nationwide 21 permitting process is a step in the right direction. This action means that permits will go through a more extensive review and directly impacted Appalachian communities will have a chance to express their concerns.

This change, however, is not permanent.

The nationwide permitting process will be under consideration again in 2012, and the Army Corps could retract that suspension before then.

We still need Congress to act quickly and decisively to permanently ban valley fills, which would go a long way to ending mountaintop removal. We are asking you to urge your member of Congress to cosponsor and pass H.R. 1310, the Clean Water Protection Act.

Already more than 2,000 miles of streams have been obliterated and thousands more exposed to toxic pollution due to mountaintop removal valley fills. Valley fills are also associated with the more extreme flooding that southern West Virginia experienced just this week.

Please help by asking Congress to act now:
http://www.ilovemountains.org/write-your-rep/

Thanks for all you do,

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

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