Tag Archives: Mountaintop removal mining

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 Mountaintop removal is an American tragedy…an unnecessary, outdated practice with no place in our clean energy future.”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

02/04/2011 Nativegrl77

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!

01/14/2011 Nativegrl77

Click on the banner above for more information …

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!

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

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We are here for a reason …a message from RAN

12/22/2010 Nativegrl77

With your help, RAN fights for forests like nobody else. With your support, we win. Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today.

Six months ago, I took on the job of leading this amazing and unbelievably committed organization—Rainforest Action Network.

Since then, not a day has gone by that I haven’t felt the weight of what my job means. We are on the front line of a fight that will determine what kind of world we live in, and what kind of world we leave behind. Every single day I am challenged. Excited. Honored.

Every day, my purpose is absolutely clear to me: to stand in solidarity with communities around the globe and do everything I can to protect the earth’s forests and climate.

I know I’m not the only one. I know you care very deeply about the same things. This is the time of year to make good on our commitments, and one way you can do this is by supporting Rainforest Action Network with a tax-deductible year-end contribution.

RAN is no ordinary organization–but you probably know that. We take on the biggest, most well-funded polluters and exploiters in the world–oil, coal, agribusiness and timber corporations–and we win. It sometimes takes years, but we persist, we fight, we organize, and we absolutely refuse to give up.

It took two years, but we finally forced eight major banks to acknowledge their role in destroying Appalachian communities and agree to severely limit funding of mountaintop removal. It took thousands of RAN activists speaking out, but this summer General Mills agreed to stop harming Indigenous communities and fragile ecosystems by sourcing only responsibly produced palm oil.

That’s what it takes to create change. It takes time, it takes courage, it takes passion–it takes RAN, and it takes you.

These victories are exactly what you support when you contribute to RAN. Unlike many organizations, we never take money from big business. We have no government money. This independence is what allows us to speak the truth no matter the consequences. It is the right thing to do, and it’s why RAN is here.

With victories though, comes increased opposition, and our opposition has deep, deep pockets. RAN’s annual budget is pocket change compared to the multi-national corporations who’d like to see us fail. That’s why your support matters so very much to RAN. We can’t keep this up without you.

So thank you in advance for your support. And thank you for being a part of Rainforest Action Network, for sharing our vision and our passion, and for fighting every single day for a just and thriving earth.

		In friendship,
		Rebecca Tarbotton Executive Director Rainforest Action Network Twitter: @BeckyTarbotton

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Protect our streams and mountains

11/19/2010 Nativegrl77

Tell the EPA to protect our streams and mountains

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.