What a Week in Washington

By Rainforest Action Network

Last week I went to Washington DC, along with 200 other folks from 27 US states.

We were all there to tell Congress to end mountaintop removal and pass the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696).

Citizens directly impacted by mountaintop removal were joined by concerned Americans from as far away as Oregon, Maine, California, Minnesota, Michigan, and Colorado in an incredibly powerful act of solidarity.

Expertly coordinated by the Alliance for Appalachia, this was the biggest-yet lobby event on mountaintop removal.

We also took the opportunity to meet with staff from the various agencies involved in mountaintop removal permitting and regulation.

As I was leaving a meeting at the EPA, this image caught my eye. The poster reads “Blowing up mountains contaminates water and poisons people. EPA pledge to end mountaintop removal coal mining.