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Two victories in the fight against mountaintop removal
Two days; two excellent decisions from federal appeals courts. Last Monday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in our favor in a case against the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and its issuance of streamlined national permits for … Continue reading
Posted in Coal, Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases, Partners, Water Quality
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SB 562 exemplifies the problem with regulation in West Virginia
By Dan Radmacher Why are West Virginia’s streams so polluted that less than a quarter of them can support their designated uses — such as recreation, providing drinking water, or supporting aquatic life? The example of the passage and implementation of … Continue reading
Posted in Coal, Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases, Water Quality
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Boom! Boom! in Lewisburg
On November 17, about 70 Appalmad supporters gathered in Lewisburg for an afternoon of music, poetry and fellowship. The Boom! Boom! Fundraiser featured poet Crystal Good and the music of the Black Twig Pickers. It was a tremendous success, and … Continue reading
Posted in Appalmad, Culture, Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases
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Patriot getting out of mountaintop removal mining
Today, Patriot Coal announced it has agreed to get out of the mountaintop removal business – permanently. This agreement represents an enormous victory in Appalachian Mountain Advocates’ 14-year battle against mountaintop removal mining. Our ongoing actions against Patriot to ensure … Continue reading
Posted in Coal, Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases, Water Quality
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Suits challenge mines over public health impacts
The U.S. Corps of Engineers continues to ignore a growing body of scientific evidence suggesting that mountaintop removal mining could be making people who live near mining sites sick in a number of ways. Mountaintop removal has been linked to … Continue reading
Posted in Coal, Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases, Public Health
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Good news on conductivity
The West Virginia Environmental Quality Board issued an important ruling late last month calling on the state Department of Environmental Protection to only issue mountaintop removal mining permits after analyzing the potential for those permits to increase certain types of … Continue reading
Posted in Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases, Water Quality
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Harvard law professor criticizes Spruce ruling
In an article in the latest edition of The Environmental Forum, Harvard law professor Richard Lazarus slammed the ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson overturning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s veto of the Spruce No. 1 mine permit. … Continue reading
Posted in Coal, Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases
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Bonding systems are inadequate to protect taxpayers
The 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act requires coal companies to clean up and reclaim mined land. When they cannot or do not, the states are supposed to have bonding systems in place to pay for the reclamation. When … Continue reading
Posted in Coal, Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases, Water Quality
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Judge overturns EPA Spruce veto; we will continue to fight
Attorneys for Appalachian Mountain Advocates have been fighting the largest mountaintop removal permit in West Virginia history since 1998. With last week’s decision by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s veto of the permit … Continue reading
Posted in Coal, Our Cases, Water Quality
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Patriot agrees to the largest selenium settlement yet
There is probably no better example of the strategy that drives our work here at Appalachian Mountain Advocates than the settlement reached with Patriot Coal to clean up selenium pollution at three major mining complexes in West Virginia. If approved … Continue reading
Posted in Mountaintop Removal, Our Cases, Water Quality
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