Citizen Action

We are up against much more than an unjust mining process. We are fighting the inept, if not corrupt, regulation agencies and government.

We must address the problem of having a state regulatory system that is ineffective, at best, at protecting residents from coal industry threats to their health, homes, and communities. We must hold coal companies and regulatory agencies accountable. We must oppose new MTR permits and related hazards and we must monitor, document, and report violations of existing permits. We must tell the regulatory agencies, every chance we get, what they should be doing…even if they don’t listen.

Announcements

  • Tell the White House: Put Our Health First, End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining!

    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.

  • Stand With These Three Appalachian Communities And Help Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining

    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.

  • Tell the EPA to keep up the fight for what is right regarding the Spruce Mine as well as other mountaintop removal operations that destroy waters and threaten communities.

    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.

  • Tell the Office of Surface Mining to revoke Alpha's Eagle II permit on Coal River Mountain

    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.

  • Mountaintop Removal Is Burying Bears Alive! – Take Action now!

    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.

  • Tell President Obama: Protect West Virginia from a massive mountaintop removal mine

    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.

  • US House of Representatives: Sign bill HR 5959 The ACHE ACT

    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.

  • Make a permanent ban on all mountaintop removal mining operations. sign the petition!
  • Petition - We won't drink WV American Water until it's safe for everyone

    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.

  • Petition - Demand justice for West Virginians whose water has been poisoned

    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.

  • Stand with the prisoners in SCRJ

    Stand with the prisoners in SCRJ who are demanding human dignity, protection of basic rights, and accountability from jail administrators.

  • Petition to Stop Mountaintop Removal mining adjacent to Kanawha State Forest

    On May 5, 2014 the WV DEP issued a surface mining permit allowing a coal company to use explosives to blast off over 400 acres of forested mountaintop right next to Kanawha State Forest and less than 5 miles from the state capitol building in downtown Charleston, WV. The permit authorizes Keystone Coal to use explosives to mine coal within 588 feet of Kanawha State Forest and permits them to restrict public access to our roads, trails, and shooting range for the next ten years. Help us protect Kanawha State Forest and our community! We are calling on Governor Tomblin to immediately and permanently revoke the KD#2 surface mine permit. You do NOT have to be a WV resident to sign! No matter where you live, you can help. You do NOT have to be 18 or older to sign, No matter your age, you can help. You can find more information at https://facebook.com/kanawhaforestcoalition You can download and print a FAQ sheet and a paper version of this petition to help us gather signatures locally - https://tinyurl.com/kfcfiles

Resources:

*All Emergencies Regardless of what it is especially on weekends *Spill Hotline* 1(800)642-3074

The Strip Mining Handbook – The Strip Mining Handbook was written to give citizens in mining areas a fighting chance to protect their homes and communities from the ravages of mining operations by providing them with the tools they need to understand the law and use the often complex provisions of SMCRA to their advantage.

Appalachian Center for the Economy & the Environment – The App Center is a regional law and policy organization that works together with individual citizens and grassroots citizens’ groups to clarify, analyze and act on the environmental and economic issues that affect our communities. -The coal mine permit tracker is a valley fill database.

Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center – a nonprofit law firm that fights for justice in the coalfields by representing coal miners and their families on issues of Black Lung and mine safety and by working with grassroots groups and individuals to protect the land and people from misuse and degradation caused by extractive industries. The Center handles individual cases and engages in strategic litigation and policy work in the areas of mine safety and health, environmental protection and sustainable energy.

Coal River Mountain Watch Local Resources Page – CRMW asks: Are you being affected by a mine site, prep plant, impoundment, blasting, flooding, dust, polluted water, coal trucks, or any other coal company related problem? The following pages contain information for dealing with some of the issues you might be facing.

Regulatory Agencies:

  • WV Department of Environmental Protection
    WV DEP is in charge of issuing and regulating mining permits, as well as overseeing their operation.

    • to view a mining data map tool
    • to search and view current mining operations
    • to search and view newly applied for mining operations that are yet to be approved
    • to search and view current NPDES, national pollutant and discharge elimination permits
    • to search and view applied for NPDES, national pollutant and discharge elimination permits
  • Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
    OSMRE is the federal agency responsible for regulating surface mining in the United States.
  • Mine Safety and Health Administration
    MSHA is the federal agency responsible for overseeing worker safety in the mining industry.
  • US Army Corp of Engineers
    US ACE is the federal agency that oversees valley fill permits.
  • US Environmental Protection Agency
    • US EPA enforces the federal clean water act
    • Searchable Website for Drinking Water Violations
    • Enforcement & Compliance History Online