Reply #13: Hi Turborama. Thank you for that link to the [View All]

[sabrina 1]

documentary. I have not seen it, will watch it though.

Here is one link that mentions the permits issued last Spring. It is part of a much longer article about the whole tragedy of mountai-top removal and strip mining:

'Regulating' Mountaintop Removal or Sanctioning Human Rights Abuses?

Abetting Historicide: Does Nancy Sutley's Regulatory Banter Cover Up Crimes Against Coalfield Residents?

And yet, EPA's Acting Assistant Administrator Michael H. Shapiro, in announcing the EPA's sign-off on 42 of 48 mining permits, wrote last spring: "I understand the importance of coal mining in Appalachia for jobs, the economy and meeting the nation's energy needs."

Another link confirming that those permits were quietly granted:

'Appalachian Apocalypse': Obama Permits Mountaintop Removal Mining

EPA greenlights mountaintop removal mining permits late on a Friday.

My friend Jeff Biggers, a noted author on Appalachia and a strong ally in the fight against mountaintop removal, just emailed me the link to his latest HuffPo blog with a one-word note: "depressing." One click revealed the shocking, utterly heartbreaking news that the Environmental Protection Agency appears poised to let the Army Corps of Engineers proceed with its plan to approve dozens of MTR permits that have been under scrutiny by order of the Obama administration.

The article outlines the original promise, and the hold-up of over 200 applications. But with the issuance of those permits, it looks like the Mining Lobby is still very strong in DC.