Thinking Green Thursday

Michelle has been our host for Thinking Green Thursday. When I read her post today I wanted to cheer, because she is championing a favorite topic of mine, and wanted to cry because it is such a sad topic.
I'm sure you have seen this logo on my sidebar in the past, and in several of my posts.


The story doesn't change. It only grows worse with every passing day. The owner of a mine, Massey Energy, once again found itself in the headlines this past week, when twenty-five miners died. Conditions for the miners are dreadful. Beyond that, conditions created by mining practices, particularly the practice of simply blowing off the tops of mountains, are so outrageously WRONG, I can't begin to express my feelings .

I quote from the site of ilovemountains.org:

"Mountaintop removal is a radical form of coal mining where entire mountains are literally blown up -- devastating communities throughout Appalachia, polluting drinking water and destroying rivers. And the worst part is, you're paying for it.

If your home or business is on the electric grid, chances are you are connected to mountaintop removal in the Appalachian Mountains. Find out how -- and then find out what you can do about it."

I urge you to go to this site and read the details for yourself. Learn how YOU may have a direct connection to mountaintop removal.

I also urge you to go to Michelle's post. It is full of excellent information.

iLoveMountains.org

The following is an email that I received today.

I did call the President (1-202-456-1414). I was permitted to say only my name and state, and then just one sentence before the operator thanked me for my call and ended the conversation.


"The science is now irrefutable.

Just days after the EPA approved the expansion of the largest mountaintop removal coal mine in West Virginia, a dozen prominent national scientists have published a major study that concludes that the environmental and public health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining are "pervasive and irreversible."

Published in the journal Science and summarizing dozens of scientific papers, the study states that "attempts to regulate [mountaintop removal] practices are inadequate," and that "regulators should no longer ignore rigorous science."

This new study illustrates the urgent need for the Obama administration to uphold its pledge to put science ahead of politics in environmental decision-making.

"It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's inconvenient - especially when it's inconvenient," President Obama said in a recent interview.

And the inconvenient truth is that regulating mountaintop removal coal mining is not enough. The only way to address the harmful impacts of mountaintop removal is to stop the practice entirely.

But we need your help to ensure that the administration hears what scientists are saying about the irreversible consequences of mountaintop removal coal mining.

Click here to call President Obama -- tell him to listen to the science and take decisive action to end mountaintop removal coal mining today.

Recently, President Obama said that "It's time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology."

President Obama can demonstrate that leadership by ending mountaintop removal in the United States today.

As the scientists write in their report, "The United States should take leadership on these issues, particularly since surface mining in many developing countries is expected to grow extensively."

Enough is enough. The scientists have spoken, and there are no more excuses for inaction on mountaintop removal.

Call President Obama today, and tell him to act now to end mountaintop removal coal mining.

Thank you for taking action -- and please forward this email to your friends and family, and ask them to join you and thousands of others in calling on President Obama to end mountaintop removal coal mining today.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org"