An online petion. Recent, peer-reviewed science shows that mountaintop removal coal mining does more than destroy Appalachian mountains and streams, it increases risk of serious diseases such as birth defects, cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality. Yet none of the agencies responsible for regulating mountaintop removal coal mining -- the Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA, or the Office of Surface Mining -- take this new science into account when issuing mining permits.

Tell the President, his Army Corps of Engineers, and his Environmental Protection Agency to stop these permits, stand up for justice for Appalachian families who depend on clean water, and not give in to political pressure from coal company lobbyists.

Late last week, siding with the coal industry, a federal court overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s veto of one of the most disastrous and destructive mountaintop removal mines in U.S. history, the Spruce No. 1 Mine in West Virginia. We believe the EPA has a very strong case for appeal, and we need your help in keeping up this fight for what is right.

In 2008, the WV Department of Environmental Protection granted Massey Energy a permit for mountaintop removal on Coal River Mountain. This permit allows Massey (now Alpha) to destroy 2000 acres of the mountain, despite the objections of community residents living directly at the foot of the mountain. Fortunately, Alpha has not yet started mining on this permit. According to federal law, any permit which does not start within 3 years of being issued is automatically terminated. Eagle II is one example of what appears to be Alpha/Massey's strategy of getting permits for areas that they have no immediate intention to mine before they are faced with stricter regulations and more science clearly proving the irreversible impacts of mountaintop removal. Take Action! Tell the federal Office of Surface Mining to revoke this permit due to Alpha's clear violation of the law.

care2.com Asks to Please sign the petition to convince Congress to ban MTR and to enforce legal requirements for coal mining in Appalachia. For nearly two decades, mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining has been destroying Appalachia's natural landscape and wildlife habitats.

In situations where agencies within the federal government differ on environmental matters, it is the role of the Council on Environmental Quality to weigh in and resolve the matter. And by directing the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the Spruce mine permit, the CEQ can stop this highly polluting and disastrous project once and for all.

The Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act will provide the families in these communities the answers and the protection they deserve. It will provide a full scientific analysis of the potential health threats to affected communities. It would place a moratorium on new mountaintop removal coal mines and expansion of existing mines until the science demonstrates the mines will not cost them their lives or their health.

It is West Virginia American Water's responsibility to ensure that its drinking water is safe for every one of its customers. We are boycotting drinking West Virginia American Water until levels of crude MCHM are reported at undetectable levels with the best testing practices available and results made public on the West Virginia American Water website.

SUPPORT the CARE campaign’s petition to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) to terminate West Virginia’s mining enforcement program and implement a program that is accountable to the people of West Virginia.