Veterans, students, teachers, and other residents from across Virginia are heading to Washington, D.C. today to participate in Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization calling for the abolition of mountaintop removal and investment in sustainable economic diversification of the Appalachian coalfields.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Lauren Glickman 804-335-0915
lauren@chesapeakeclimate.org

Richmond, VA – Veterans, students, teachers, and other residents from across Virginia are heading to Washington, D.C. today to participate in Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization calling for the abolition of mountaintop removal and investment in sustainable economic diversification of the Appalachian coalfields.
 
“Residents of the coalfields oppose the destruction of our mountains, said Jane Branham, a coalfields resident and Vice President of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, a group dedicated to opposing mountaintop removal coal mining. We are so pleased that more than 200 fellow Virginians are joining us in Washington this weekend.”  
 
Appalachia Rising will consist of Voices from the Mountains, a summit on the weekend, and the Day of Action on Monday. Voices from the Mountains will engage participants in critical dialogue on the movement for justice and prosperity in Appalachia. The Day of Action will unite thousands in a
march and rally against mountaintop removal coal mining outside the White House.
 
“It is inspiring to see so many Virginians along with thousands of people from all across that are not willing to stand idly by as one of our national treasures is on the verge of disappearing for good,” said Lauren Glickman, Virginia State Coordinator for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.  “With Appalachia’s future in the balance, the time is now for a dramatic shift away from dirty and dangerous carbon intensive fuels and to provide a just transition for Appalachia to a diverse clean energy economy.”
 
“Mountaintop removal mining is just the first step in a life cycle of coal that pollutes our air and water, harms our health and causes climate change. It is all about getting coal out of ground as cheaply as possible regardless of the havoc it wreaks on people and the environment, said Glen Besa, Virginia Director of the Sierra Club.
 
Strip mining in Appalachia, commonly referred to as mountaintop removal, is a process in which as much as 800 to 1000 feet of elevation is blasted to reach thin coal seams within the mountain. The resulting millions of tons of rock are dumped into surrounding valleys, creating valley fills. Sites can reach up to 10,000 acres and the 500 mountains and 2,000 miles of streams lost to strip mining total an area the size of Delaware.
 
Mountaintop removal mining has severe impacts on the health of local residents. A 2010 study linked residence in coal mining areas with higher rates of human cancer mortality. A 2009 report estimated that coal mining is costing Appalachia five times more in premature deaths than it provides the region in all jobs, taxes and other economic benefits. Mountaintop removal is also destroying communities as coal companies aggressively seek to buy out residents living near proposed mountaintop removal sites.
 
For more details on Appalachia Rising, visit www.appalachiarising.org.

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