WASHINGTON - October 23 - In the first nationwide poll on mountaintop removal mining, two out of three likely voters oppose recent efforts by the Bush administration to repeal an environmental law known as the Stream Buffer Zone rule, which prohibits mining activities within 100 feet of a stream. Upon hearing that "more than 1,200 miles of streams in Appalachia already have been buried or destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining," fully 85% of voters say they are concerned about the effects of this mining practice.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - October 16 - Conservation groups today asked a federal court in Western North Carolina to require Duke Energy to control hazardous air pollution from its Cliffside coal-fired power plant to the maximum extent possible. The groups told the court that construction on the 800-megawatt addition should be stopped because their air permit does not adequately control dangerous air emissions, including mercury and dozens of carcinogens such as arsenic, chromium, and dioxin.

WASHINGTON - October 15 - With domestic policy the focus of tonight's third presidential debate, the discussion likely will touch on energy and the future of coal, which currently generates about 50 percent of U.S. electricity. Both John McCain and Barack Obama have frequently mentioned their support for "clean coal" on the campaign trail, but neither one of them has fully explained what that means. Today, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issued a report that examines the pros and cons of a proposed technology that would capture coal plant carbon dioxide emissions and store them underground.

DENVER - October 7 - WildEarth Guardians and Earthjustice today called on federal agencies to withdraw a permit for a Western Colorado coal mine expansion that would waste massive amounts of methane and contribute to global warming.

Methane -- also known as natural gas -- is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, yet is also a valuable energy source.