Our Stories

The Latest by Joan Mulhern

Sr. Legislative Representative

Joan began her great work at Earthjustice in 1999, leading the organization in its work to save Appalachian waters and communities by ending mountaintop removal mining and to bring the protections of the law to all waters of the United States. One of the country's most effective and toughest advocates for clean water, Joan was a fighter for all who suffer environmental injustice. She passed away in 2012.

October 17, 2012

When Polluters Attack The Clean Water Act

By Joan Mulhern  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Clean water is one of Earth’s most precious resources. Life is not possible without clean water. Thursday is the 40th anniversary of our nation’s most important law to protect clean water and end water pollution: the Clean Water Act of 1972. This is a great law whose goals include making all waters safe for fishing, swimming, …

September 20, 2012

Happy 98th To Living Legend Ken Hechler

By Joan Mulhern  /  Washington, D.C. Office

No one who has met Ken will ever forget him. I first met him in 1999 when I started at Earthjustice. Joe Lovett of Appalachian Mountain Advocates and his colleagues had just won the first-ever federal court ruling against mountaintop removal. This set off a political firestorm in West Virginia and at the U.S. Capitol. …

Larry Gibson, watching the sun set over a decimated Kayford Mountain.
September 10, 2012

Hero For Those "Who Don't Have A Say"

By Joan Mulhern

The fight to end mountaintop removal will not stop until mountaintop removal stops, but yesterday we lost one of the most beloved heroes and leaders of the movement. Larry Gibson, the Keeper of the Mountains, died on Kayford Mountain, a sacred place he fought for three decades to save. He recalled how, 30 years ago, some …