March, 01 2010, 01:05pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Joshua Kahn Russell, 415.568.6591
Nell Greenberg, 510.847.9777
More Than 40 Rallied at EPA Today; Asking Agency to End Mountaintop Removal
Philly EPA Considering 16 New Mining Permits
PHILADELPHIA
As part of a growing movement against the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining, dozens staged a rally today at Philadelphia's EPA Region 3 building. Those in attendance were asking the EPA to take immediate action to veto new Mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining permits, which Region 3 is largely responsible for. The participants successfully met with EPA representative, Jeffrey Lapp, and delivered a letter to Shawn Garvin, the EPA's regional administrator.
In recent months, the EPA has wavered in their position on mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR); in particular with the recent approval of the high profile Hobet 45 Mine permit. Philadelphia's EPA has oversight of MTR permits for Virginia and West Virginia, which includes the Hobet 45 Mine. Philadelphia's Region 3 EPA is considering 16 upcoming MTR permits and is responsible for the enforcement of the Clean Water Protection Act at existing MTR sites, which makes it a critical agent in ending the mining practice.
"As the body responsible for mine permits in Virginia and West Virginia, the Philadelphia EPA has a leadership role to play in ensuring the end of this outdated and egregious practice of blowing up whole mountains and contaminating drinking water for a very tiny amount of coal," said Annie Sartor of the Rainforest Action Network, which organized the rally.
An increasing number of Americans oppose the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining, including a majority of Appalachians. Called the worst of the worst strip mining, the practice blows the tops off of whole mountains to scoop out the small seams of coal that lie beneath.
"With resounding scientific consensus against the practice, hundreds of mountains destroyed and thousands of miles of streams contaminated, the EPA can and must end mountaintop removal coal mining," said Robin Markle, who helped organize today's rally.
A paper released by a dozen leading scientists last month in the journal Science, concluded that mountaintop coal mining is so destructive that the government should stop giving out new permits to do it. "The science is so overwhelming that the only conclusion that one can reach is that mountaintop mining needs to be stopped," said Margaret Palmer, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences and the study's lead author.
Mining companies are clear-cutting thousands of acres of some of the world's most biologically diverse forests, burying crucial headwaters streams and contaminating groundwater with toxic levels of heavy metals. According to the EPA, this destructive practice has damaged or destroyed nearly 2,000 miles of streams and threatens to destroy 1.4 million acres of forest by 2020.
Today's rally was organized by Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Philly Against Coal and concerned Philadelphia residents. In conjunction with the rally in Philadelphia, RAN also organized a sit-in at the Atlanta Region 4 EPA offices.
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is headquartered in San Francisco, California with offices staff in Tokyo, Japan, and Edmonton, Canada, plus thousands of volunteer scientists, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens around the world. We believe that a sustainable world can be created in our lifetime and that aggressive action must be taken immediately to leave a safe and secure world for our children.
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Sanders Says 'Political Movement,' Not Murder, Is the Path to Medicare for All
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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Under the Robinson-Patman Act, it is generally illegal for sellers to engage in price discrimination that harms competition by charging higher prices to disfavored retailers that purchase similar goods. The FTC's case filed today seeks to ensure that businesses of all sizes compete on a level playing field with equivalent access to discounts and rebates, which means increased consumer choice and the ability to pass on lower prices to consumers shopping across independent retailers.
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