Rep. Nick Rahall — like too many others in Congress — apparently sees no problem using that forum to spout untruths and fabrications to further his own agenda. In this case, he mischaracterizes the EPA’s veto of a permit for one of the largest mountaintop removal mines in the region in order to safeguard Appalachia’s waters and communities.
Last week, Appalachian Voices and Earthjustice teamed up with a group of Appalachian residents in Washington, D.C., to lobby members of the U.S. House of Representatives to cosponsor the Clean Water Protection Act, and discuss the importance of protecting clean water with the Environmental Protection Agency and Office of Surface Mining.
Last month, we acted quickly to undermine H.R. 2824, a pro-mountaintop removal bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. While we never expected to prevent the bill from passing the anti-environmental House, our efforts helped to make the perils of mountaintop removal the message of the day.
If you weren’t recently rescued from a deserted island, you’re probably aware that money in politics holds sway over every issue imaginable. So anyone passionate about, well, anything really, should take note of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling today on McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a case that’s being called “the sequel to Citizens United.”
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to roll back stream protections in an effort to make it easier to dump waste from mountaintop removal mines into Appalachian streams. Given the makeup of the House right now, this comes as no surprise. But there is a silver lining.
It’s hard to get a good bill all the way through the legislative process to receive a vote on the House floor. Apparently it’s much easier to get a bad bill that far. H.R. 2824 — pro-mountaintop removal legislation that would weaken protections for Appalachian streams — is expected to head to the House floor for a full vote sometime next week.
The U.S. Senate sent the Farm Bill sent to President Obama for his signature this week, ending a 17-month standstill on the nearly $1 trillion bill. In addition to designating funding for farm subsidies, crop insurance, and nutritional programs, the bill contains exceedingly important programs to expand energy efficiency in rural communities across the country.
More than 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams have been buried or poisoned by the valley fills associated with mountaintop removal mining. Yet, despite touting his credentials as a former coal regulator, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) believes that current stream protections are sufficient and dumping mining waste into streams is illegal.
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) introduced a new bill this week titled the “EPA Maximum Achievable Contraction of Technocrats Act,” or “EPA MACT Act.” The bill would require the EPA to layoff 15 percent of its employees. The title of the…
Part 5 in a 5 part series Lie 5: Mountaintop removal mining is necessary for our nation’s energy security. While coal is in perpetual decline, more than one-third of America’s electricity still comes from the fossil fuel. It is on…
