Tag Archives: Appalachia

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Wake up banks, mountains are at stake …Amanda Starbuck, Rainforest Action Network


With your help over the last year, six of the largest banks in the world have cut their financing of mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR).

http://www.ran.org/mtr

Sadly, a RAN report released today shows that Citi, PNC, Deutsche Bank and UBS are still asleep as mountains across Appalachia are destroyed forever.

So we’re going BIG and we’re getting louder. We’ve partnered with actress Susan Sarandon to issue a major wake up call about the tragedy of mountaintop removal. Watch this incredible video and send it to bank CEOs today.

Our mountains, our forests and the health of Appalachian communities are being sacrificed. It’s time for banks to stop financing MTR completely.

Send this important video to bank CEOs and tell them to stop funding the destruction of America’s mountains.    http://www.ran.org/mtr

As Ms. Sarandon says, “Families across Appalachia need our help. Mountaintop removal is an American tragedy…an unnecessary, outdated practice with no place in our clean energy future.”

Show these banks what’s really at stake when they choose to do business with MTR coal companies.   http://www.ran.org/mtr

Thanks for taking action with us. We couldn’t do it without you.

For the mountains,

Amanda Starbuck

Energy Finance Campaign

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Dear Citi, You screwed up big time


In 2009, you helped push Citi to announce a “robust MTR Environmental Due Diligence Process,” giving hope that the bank would reduce its financial backing for mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining.

We’ve now discovered Citi’s mountaintop removal “due diligence process” is not worth the paper it’s printed on!

Join us in calling on Citi to stop funding mountaintop removal.  212 559 1000

MTR is a crime against America’s environment and people. Every day MTR coal corporations literally blow the tops off Appalachia‘s mountains: clear-cutting forests, wiping out natural habitats and poisoning rivers and drinking water. Not only are these mountains lost forever, but also the heritage and the health of families across the region are being sacrificed.

Last weekend, mountaintop removal mining company Alpha Natural Resources announced that it was purchasing Massey Energy, formerly the largest and most nefarious mountaintop removal company in Appalachia. Together, Massey and Alpha are responsible for more than 26 percent of all mountaintop mining in Central Appalachia. Citi is responsible for funding this toxic merger.

Join us in calling on Citi to stop funding mountaintop mining all together. 212 559 1000

Thanks for all that you do.

For the mountains,

Amanda Starbuck, Annie Sartor and Scott Parkin

Global Finance Campaign Team

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Great News! EPA Finally Vetoes Spruce Mine Permit!


Rainforest Action Network
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Great news came from the coalfields of Appalachia this morning: the EPA vetoed the Spruce No. 1 mountaintop-removal mining permit in West Virginia!

Activists like you from around the country have worked hard to urge the EPA to veto the Spruce Mine permit, and all of your hard work has finally paid off! Thousands of people have emailed comments to the EPA about this issue; many have shared the Spruce Mine story with friends and allies, and still others dumped 1,000 pounds of West Virginian dirt on the front lawn to demand a veto of the Spruce Mine permit. We should all feel proud of this success.

Because the Spruce Mine was the largest proposed mountaintop removal mine site in all of Appalachia, it has been viewed as a bellwether for the MTR industry. While we certainly hope that the EPA’s decision this morning means that the agency is working hard to slow the destruction caused by MTR in Appalachia, it’s important that we don’t forget that there are many more MTR mines in central Appalachia that have devastating impacts on nearby residents.

Thank EPA Administer Lisa Jackson for protecting communities in West Virginia by vetoing the Spruce No.1 Mine Permit and to encourage her to continue to uphold federal laws and regulations for clean water enforcement.

Thank you for helping to stop the Spruce No. 1 mine!

GFC team

For the mountains,
Amanda Starbuck, Annie Sartor and Scott Parkin
Global Finance Campaign Team
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Protect our streams and mountains


Rainforest Action Network
Tell the EPA to protect our streams and mountains
Abolish MTR
Take Action

Last spring, the EPA issued strict guidelines on permits for mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining. These guidelines for “valley fill” permits severely limit the dumping of coal mining debris into valleys and streams.

These guidelines have the potential to save the rest of Appalachia‘s mountains from being destroyed and Appalachia’s drinking water from being poisoned.

The EPA is now seeking feedback on their new approach to MTR permitting. Public comments are due December 1st.

Take action today. Tell the EPA to strengthen their guidance on mountaintop removal mining permits.

We know the coal industry is gearing up for a massive outpouring of comments, so we must provide leaders at the EPA the support they need to end mountaintop removal.

Ask the EPA to stand up to King Coal and end all valley fills.

Thank you for taking action to protect our beautiful streams and mountains.

Amanda Starbuck

For the mountains,
Amanda Starbuck
Global Finance Campaign Director
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RAN …09-30-10 March on DC


Rainforest Action Network
March to save America’s mountains. Register today.
Appalachia Rising Poster
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On September 27, thousands of Americans will march on the White House to demand an end to mountaintop removal coal mining, a practice that is poisoning the air, water, soil, culture and communities of Appalachia.

Are you disgusted by coal corporations bombing America’s mountains into oblivion?

March with us in D.C. on September 27 to end mountaintop removal mining. Sign up now..

Mountaintop removal is an atrocity that has destroyed over 500 mountains, buried thousands of miles of Appalachian streams and rivers, clear-cut over a million acres and harmed countless Appalachian lives.

It’s time to abolish this horrible practice. Join us for Appalachia Rising..

Our friend Mickey McCoy of Inez, Kentucky summed it up perfectly. “I’d rather not travel to Washington DC. I’d rather not break the law in non-violent civil disobedience. Frankly, I’d like to work in the garden in my retirement…but when 300 million gallons of toxic coal sludge from a Massey Energy impoundment flooded Martin County, my home, I found myself in a fight for the life of my land and community. And with those stakes, you don’t have a choice. The time for action is now!”

After attending Voices from the Mountains, a summit of Appalachians and their allies September 25 & 26, RAN will take to the D.C. streets to march on the White House and demand justice for Appalachia’s communities, culture and environment.

Be there with us. March on the 27th knowing you helped give Appalachia a fighting chance to survive and thrive for generations to come.

Scott Parkin

See you in Washington D.C.,
Scott Parkin
Global Finance Campaigner