tagged w/ protect the earth
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Click the link to dd your name to the petition!
The Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is poised to finalize a rule that would allow thousands of natural streams and valleys in Appalachia to be buried by waste from mountaintop removal coal mining. OSM's plan directly conflicts with the decades-old Stream Buffer Zone Rule, which prohibits surface coal mining activities from disturbing areas within 100 feet of permanent and seasonal streams.
For years, federal agencies have looked the other way as the coal industry has been allowed to blast away the tops of mountains to reach thin seams of coal. Already, mountaintop removal mining has flattened more than 500,000 acres and permanently buried 2,000 miles of streams, destroying sources that feed drinking water. These actions were taken in defiance of the existing Stream Buffer Zone Rule. Now, OSM wants to legalize this destruction, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must first give its approval for the change in rules to become law.
Please take action by telling the EPA that the destruction of Appalachia's valleys and streams is unacceptable. Tell EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to protect these valuable resources by keeping the Stream Buffer Zone Rule in place!
Click the link to dd your name to the petition!
The Federal Office of Surface... more
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