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Coal
mining, clean water and buffer zones "'For 50 weeks of the year we engage in activities that damage the
environment, only to go on a two-week vacation to enjoy it." This
line taken from an Earth Day mailing to churches several years ago by
the National Council of Churches of Christ captures well the spirit of
many North Americans when it comes to the environment. We all want unpolluted
water to drink, forests to hike in, and clean air to breathe. But our
lifestyles and policy choices do not always reflect this." The beautiful mountains of Appalachia are one place where the realities of our lifestyle and policies are evident. Coal mining leaves scars on the landscape and pollution in the water sources. I invite you to join your voice with those who are concerned for the health and well being of the people of Appalachia and the environment in which they live. The following information comes from Greenwatch. Bush Strips More Protections From Mountain Top Mining Rules, March
04, 2004 The rule change follows the administration's gutting of an environmental impact statement (EIS) on mountaintop mining; the repeal of a 25-year-old prohibition against dumping waste in streams; and a proposal by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) to weaken oversight of state mining programs. The Interior Department stream rule change, which could take affect as early as mid-summer, would eliminate a ban put in place by the Reagan Administration that prohibits mining activity within 100 feet of a stream. The ban was enacted to prevent the burial of streams in Appalachia from mountaintop strip mining, a practice whereby mountain peaks are leveled to extract coal. Countless tons of rock are simply dumped into the adjacent valleys and streams. Mountaintop mining has resulted in the burial of or damage to more than 1,200 miles of streams and the destruction of 380,000 acres of Appalachian forests, according to a federal environmental impact statement (EIS). The environmental analysis was conducted to settle a citizen lawsuit filed over the issue in the 1990s.[1] The Bush Administration describes the rule change as a "clarification" of surface mining rules. But rather than protecting streams, the new rule would establish that filling valleys and streams is permitted if companies show they are trying to minimize damage "to the extent practicable."[2] The proposed rule change on streams was made public the day after public comments on the environmental impact statement closed, said Jim Hecker, Environmental Enforcement Director for Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. "The proposed stream rule is another in a series of actions by the Bush Administration to gut longstanding safeguards against the wholesale burial and pollution of streams in Appalachia by the coal mining industry," Hecker told BushGreenwatch. "It's just another example of the Bush Administration's preferential treatment of the energy industry." SOURCES: [1] Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. [2] Decapitating Appalachia, New York Times editorial, January 13, 2004. This concern is very real to the people serving with MCC in Appalachia. Whether it is turning on the water tap to have foul smelling, discolored water come out, or feeling the house shake from another blast from the mining operation just behind the MCC land, there are daily reminders that mining has left it's print on life in Appalachia. Ellie Huebner, co-director of MCC Appalachia program with her husband Jim recently wrote. "Here on the MCC farm, things "roll along" quietly for
the past 4 years ... and now with the blasting, that takes you by surprised,
you really start to think even more of the others that have lived with
this constantly in their lives, here in Appalachia. Mine blasting has
been the cause of houses getting knocked off their foundations, of mountain
tops being "removed", of river streams plugged, changed, or
buried, of wells drying up, of flooding, and flash flooding. Of emotional
insecurities and anger, and outrage. Of feelings of isolation, that "no
one out there understands Appalachian issues" and of feelings of
powerlessness when facing the giants of the coal mining industry, and
often times, a feeling of hopelessness." [top] Resources
and Actions "The public comment period on the Bush administration proposal to do away with "buffer zone" protections for streams has been extended to April 7. There will be a public hearing about this proposal in Hazard (as well as cities in other states) on Tuesday, March 30 from 6-9pm. The hearing will take place in the Jolly Center at Hazard community College.
Most of us were unable to participate in the public hearings that have been held in Kentucky but all of you can write a letter. Because of the April 7 deadline please send you letter via email to the U.S. Office of Surface Mining. Write a letter even after the April 7 date. Other opportunities for action from the MCC Washington Office: Learn more about environmental justice - the disproportionate impact of environmental choices on poor persons and persons of color. Challenge corporations or government agencies that promote such practices. Conserve energy - Look for appliances with the Energy Star label on them, which indicates high energy efficiency. Encourage your congregation to become an Energy Star congregation, part of a joint initiative between the National Council of Churches of Christ and the Environmental Protection Agency to make church buildings more energy efficient. Contact the NCC Energy Star Program for more information at 1-800-288-1346. Consume less - Figure out what your 'ecological footprint' on the earth is, and resolve to make changes to have less of an impact. Excellent resources are available from MCC and other organizations working on environmental issues. Call the office you would like a list. Choose the environmental issue that is your greatest passion.
- Get involved with organizations working on the issues either locally
or nationally. Write letters to your elected officials, organize community
events to raise awareness, hold prayer vigil, write letters to the editor
of your local paper. [top]
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© 2003 Mennonite Central Committee |