Please join Mountain Justice in calling Senator Jim Webb on Monday July 26th and ask that he “KEEP ISON ROCK RIDGE STANDING” and support the communities of southwestern Virginia from mountaintop removal coal mining.
Call Senator Webb and ask him to 1. Thank the EPA for all they have done to protect coalfield communities from surface coal mining and 2. Ask the EPA to continue to intervene with the Ison Rock Ridge water permit!
To reach Senator Webb’s DC office call: 202-224-4024
or Toll Free: 1-866-507-1570
Questions, comments, or to find out how to take further action, please contact Nina at the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards office: (276) 523-4380
Mountaintop removal is a devastating method of strip mining in which hundreds of feet are blasted off the tops of mountains and dumped into neighboring valleys in order to expose thin seams of coals. The proposed Ison Rock Ridge mine would destroy nearly 1,300 acres of forested land, bury headwater streams and put hundreds of Wise County families at risk. The impacts of the proposed Ison Rock Ridge permit would occur in addition to the intensive surface mining already taking place on over a quarter of the land area in Wise County, Virginia
Wise County residents have been successfully fighting this permit since 2007 with the support of people statewide. The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy has approved of the mine, but is unable to issue a permit as the EPA has put a hold on the project for further review. The EPA is concerned that the proposed mine would violate the Clean Water Act, and so are we. There is no way to operate a mine of this size without valley fills—dumping the tops of mountains into valleys, burying and destroying fresh water streams. Strip mines of this scale threaten public health and safety.
Community members are tragically familiar with the dangers of strip mining. The company proposing the Ison Rock Ridge mine, A&G, is the same company that is responsible for the death of three-year old Jeremy Davidson, who was killed by a falling boulder from a similar
mountaintop removal mine.
Senator Jim Webb has a history of championing progressive causes. However, he has remained silent on the matter of Ison Rock Ridge and is currently receiving disproportionate pressure from the coal industry. In turn, people concerned about those living in southwestern Virginia and the health of the environment MUST ramp up the pressure as well.
Senator Webb’s public support would greatly strengthen the efforts of those on the grounds of the Virginia coal fields and send a clear message that the welfare of people in these communities is of greater concern than profit for the corrupt coal industry.
