This is my first post as director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, and I'm focusing on mountaintop removal because I've lived in Appalachia for most of my life.
My new baby daughter is an 11th generation West Virginian, and I often wonder how many mountains will be left standing in the Mountain State by the time she has a family of her own. For too long, mining companies have enjoyed loopholes and rubber-stamped permits that have allowed them to flatten over 500 mountains across Appalachia.
Earlier this year, though, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new guidance aimed at consistently protecting Americans from the pollution caused by mountaintop removal coal mining. I welcome these common-sense protections by EPA.
continued at Daily Kos....
