The Fight is on to End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

An update in the fight to end mountaintop removal coal mining from our friends at Appalachian Voices. With the re-introduction of the federal Clean Water Protection Act last week (with a record 117 co-sponsors!) and a number of state-level efforts underway, there are many new fronts opening in the ongoing effort to stop the injustices of mountaintop removal. Here’s the current tally of state and federal efforts underway…

Although this is a bare bones post, here is some important information about state-level efforts to end mountaintop removal coal mining… Please check back here soon for updates!

North Carolina: Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act
House Bill
Senate Bill

Select news coverage:
WUNC (North Carolina Public Radio)
Winston-Salem Journal
The Charlotte Observer

Maryland: House Bill 743
Bill Summary (PDF)
NRDC Switchboard Blog: “Momentum Peaks Against Mountaintop Mining

Georgia: Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act
www.SoutheastGreen.com: “The Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act”

Kentucky: The Stream Saver Bill
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth: “Stream Saver Bill”
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth: “I Love Mountains Day – 2009″

Tennessee: The Scenic Vistas Protection Act
Tennessee General Assembly bill summary
Lindquist-Environmental Appalachian Fellow bill summary

Still coming down the pipe soon…
South Carolina, Maine, and New York!

Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, the federal Clean Water Protection Act is back!
Get in on the action here!

About Jesse

Jesse Jenkins is an energy and climate policy analyst, advocate, and blogger. Jesse is currently the Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Breakthrough Institute in Oakland, California, where he works to develop and advance new energy solutions to power America's future, secure our energy freedom, and halt global warming. He joined Breakthrough in June 2008 and previously directed the Breakthrough Generation fellowship program for young clean energy leaders. Jesse worked previously as a Research and Policy Associate at the Renewable Northwest Project in Portland, OR, helping to advance the development of the Pacific Northwest's abundant renewable energy potential. A prolific author and blogger on clean energy issues, Jesse is the founder and chief editor of WattHead - Energy News and Commentary, a member of the blogger board at the Energy Collective and policy editor at Its Getting Hot In Here. Jesse is a co-founder of the youth-led Cascade Climate Network, a board member of Focus the Nation and a graduate of the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon.

1 Response to “The Fight is on to End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining”

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1 sparki Mar 9th, 2009 at 9:04 pm

The poster child of mountaintop removal, Massey Energy, is not going down with out a fight. In the past two weeks, they’ve put a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on activists from Coal River Mountain Watch and Climate Ground Zero for repeated direct actions on mining related sites in the Coal River Valley. Today, the judge extended it to the associates of folks named on the TRO, which numbers in the thousands and includes all of us.

Coal River Mountain under attack! What do we do? Act up, fight back!!