
The Appalachian mountains are the epitome of modern coal mining's disastrous effects. In just a few decades, mountaintop removal mining has destroyed more than 400 majestic Appalachian peaks and buried nearly 2,000 miles of streams under the exploded rubble. Earthjustice is working to protect Appalachian communities by seeking a permanent end to mountaintop removal.
Burning coal for electricity generates more than a third of our national carbon dioxide emissions, the primary cause of global warming. Coal-fired power plants, in addition to their tremendous impact on the earth’s climate,
also release dangerous toxic pollutants like sulfur dioxide and mercury into the air and water. Earthjustice is working to clean up dirty coal plants and keep harmful pollution out of our air and water.
Coal ash is the hazardous waste full of toxic metals that remains after coal is burned. Power plants dump this waste in unlined landfills, ponds, or underground mines, where toxins in the ash readily leach into drinking water supplies. The coal ash spill in Tennessee in 2009 drew national attention to the dangers of coal ash but federal protections are still nonexistent. Earthjustice is working to ensure U.S. EPA protects people from this hazardous waste.

This is not a dream. It's a promise.
To ourselves and to our future. Let's keep it.
Earthjustice is using the courts to stop the construction of dirty coal plants and encourage carbon-free energy. It's just one of the ways we're safeguarding health, preserving our natural heritage and promoting a clean energy future. Join us today.