After a TWELVE YEAR campaign which included non-violent demonstrations from the Earth Quaker Action Team in support of our allies at Swarthmore Mountain Justice,
Federal regulators on Thursday vetoed Arch Coal Inc.’s proposal for the largest mountaintop removal permit in West Virginia history, saying the company had refused to adopt alternative mining plans that would do less environmental damage.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said the 2,300-acre Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan County would use “destructive and unsustainable mining practices that jeopardize the health of Appalachian communities and the clean water on which they depend.”
More coverage from the Rainforest Action Network.
Janet Keating from Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition said: “We are so pleased that this historic veto of the Spruce No. 1 Mine permit halts the destruction of Pigeon Roost Hollow…The science completely validates what we have been saying for more than a decade: These types of mining operations are destroying our streams and forests and nearby residents’ health, and even driving entire communities to extinction.”
The Earth Quaker Action Team is proud to have participated in some small way in this titanic national struggle!!
