Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining

  • 'I worked for 50 years in order to have at least that for a hobby or a something I could do to sit and reflect on things, but that is gone now...' (Click to hear Sid Moye's story.)
  • 'To me, nothing is worth the loss of our mountains and streams. Without drinkable water, there is no life...' (Click to hear James Tawney's story.)
  • 'It's like you're in a war zone when you live close to mountaintop removal mining sites...' (Click to hear Karen Woodrum's story.)
  • 'I am going to do all I can to try to help, to save people's lives, and help them so that they won't have to go through this with their water...' (Click to hear Donetta Blankenship's story.)
  • 'I've been talking about protecting the mountains, but what I really mean is protecting the people...' (Click to hear Ken Hechler's story.)
  • People around the world who want to save the mountains and waters in Appalachia have created their own image stories. Join them today! (Click to view photo petition.)

Mountain Heroes:Stories of People Fighting to Stop Mountaintop Removal

Sid Moye. James Tawney. Karen Woodrum. Donetta Blankenship. Ken Hechler.

They are just a few of the people who live near mountaintop removal mining and who have watched it threaten or destroy their homes, properties, streams, mountains, and in some cases, their health too. They are sharing their stories with you. Read and listen to these five stories, in their own words.

And join the fight by creating your own image story. Upload your photo to the story gallery photo petition with a short message about why you want to save the mountains. We'll present the photos to the Obama Administration and to the EPA as a powerful public petition to stop the destruction once and for all.

Read Mountain Heroes Stories View Your Stories Create My Story
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Blog Spotlight

For Some in Congress, It's Easier To Censor Than...
Here are the videos and statements they don't want you to see by Liz Judge

Recent Blog Posts

Spruce Court Decision: A Sad Day in West Virginia
Citizens vow to fight harder against mountaintop removal mining by Liz Judge
On World Water Day, Take a Sip, Take a Moment
Water is life, so let's keep our fight for clean water alive by Liz Judge
Tennessee Standing Up For Its Mountains
State may become first to ban high-altitude mountaintop removal mining by Liz Judge

Featured Stories

What Is Mountaintop Removal Mining?
Learn about this destructive process and how it affects communities throughout Coal Country, and see what Earthjustice and its allies are doing to stop mountaintop removal mining and protect the countryside and its waters.
Read more.
Keep Up The Fight To Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining
Take Action! Siding with the coal industry, a federal court has overturned the EPA’s veto of one of the most disastrous and destructive mountaintop removal mines in U.S. history, the Spruce No. 1 Mine in West Virginia. This ruling was a heartbreaking setback, but it doesn’t mean defeat—as long as the Obama Administration keeps standing behind EPA and the Clean Water Act. That’s why the White House needs to hear from you.
Read more.
Poll: Strong Opposition To MTR
A poll conducted in July 2011 found that voters oppose mountaintop removal coal mining by wide margins in all four Appalachian states of Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. This opposition to mountaintop removal—and for politicians who defend it—exists across party lines.
Read more.
We Need Clean Water: No More Dumping Mining Waste Into Our Waters!
Take Action! For nearly a decade, mining corporations have used a loophole in Clean Water Act regulations to dump mining waste into the waters we all rely on, turning some of our most pristine lakes and streams into industrial waste dumps. To protect our waters—and us—President Obama must make closing this loophole a priority.
Read more.
Online Chat: Stop MTR
Earthjustice Campaign Manager Liz Judge talked about our work on ending mountaintop removal coal mining, and took questions from Earthjustice members in an online chat.
Read more.
Images of Mountaintop Removal Mining
Mountaintop removal coal mining, often described as "strip mining on steroids," is an extremely destructive form of mining that is devastating Appalachia.
Read more.