Keep Ison Rock Ridge Standing and Call-in to Senator Jim Webb’s Office!
jasperconner July 23rd, 2010
Please join SAMS in calling Senator Jim Webb on Monday July 26th and ask that he “KEEP ISON ROCK RIDGE STANDING” and support the communities of southwestern Virginia in our fight against mountain top removal coal mining.
We are asking Senator Webb to:
- Thank the EPA for all they have done to protect coalfield communities from surface coal mining and
- Ask the EPA to continue to intervene with the Ison Rock Ridge water permit.
To reach Senator Webb’s DC office call: 202-224-4024
or Toll Free: 1-866-507-1570
Questions, comments, or to find out how to take further action, please contact Nina at the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards office: (276) 523-4380
You can find talking points for your call below
*KEEP ISON ROCK RIDGE STANDING!*
Mountaintop removal coal mining is a method of surface mining in which hundreds of feet are blasted off the top of a mountain and dumped into neighboring valleys in order to expose thin seams of coals.
Mountaintop removal coal mining and other forms of surface coal mining have some of the following effects on people’s health and safety:
- damage and destroy people’s homes.
- create dust from blasting and coal truck traffic, causing respiratory illnesses.
- destroy the forest cover and topsoil, increasing flash floods, which are often
- permanently damage and destroy fresh water streams and aquifers, denying local
residents the right to clean drinking water, and threatening our state and national
freshwater resources
30% of land in Wise County, Virginia has already being destroyed due to intensive surface mining practices and more than a million acres, including 500 mountains, have been demolished by coal companies all across the region of Appalachia.
Land reclamation does nothing to reverse the negative impacts on the environment and the surrounding communities, nor does it provide viable economic development opportunities as most land post-mining is unusable.
Coalfield communities need healthy, well-paying jobs and a sustainable, diverse economy. The destruction of our mountains reduces possibilities for recreational and tourism industries.