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Winds of Change Newsletter, March 2010 See sidebar for table of contents
Hundreds Rally at DEP For The Mountains
On Dec. 7, 2009, despite cold temperatures, hundreds
of people rallied outside the West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection offices, calling for an end to mountaintop removal coal
mining, starting with an end to the blasting of Coal River Mountain.
Robert Kennedy, Jr. spoke, alongside representatives
from almost every local, regional and national group that is working to
end mountaintop removal.
"Coal River Mountain stands today as a symbol of the
choice we have to make for our energy future," said Bo Webb of the Coal
River Valley, a lead organizer of the rally. "We can preserve our
abundant forested mountains, which offer clean drinking water and enough
wind potential to provide permanent jobs for our families. Or, we can
allow mountaintop removal operations to blast our heritage into a pile
of pulverized rock and poisoned water."
"Using giant earthmovers and millions of tons of explosives, coal
moguls have eviscerated communities, destroyed homes, and uprooted and
sickened families with coal and rock dust, blasting, flooding and
poisoned water, all while providing far fewer jobs than does traditional
underground mining," said Kennedy.
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