Friends of the Mountains letter to NRDC

September 26, 2005

Douglas S. Barasch, Editor
OnEarth Magazine
Natural Resources Defense Council

Dear Mr. Barasch,

The Friends of the Mountains is a coalition of groups, predominantly West Virginia groups, fighting mountaintop removal coal mining. The Natural Resources Defense Council was a co-litigant with two of our member groups, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch, in the lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers to stop issuing valley fill permits under Nationwide Permit 21. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., included a chapter about the struggle against King Coal in his book Crimes against Nature. So we are mightily aware that NRDC is an ally in our fight to save our homeland and culture from the devastation of mountaintop removal.

As allies, we were taken aback to see "Coal Comes Clean(er)" on the cover of OnEarth magazine and the article "How to Clean Coal" by Craig Canine in its pages. While we recognize that coal is a major energy source and must be used with as little impact as possible, money put into "clean coal" technology would be better spent on developing truly renewable energy sources. We also have reservations about a technology that essentially sweeps carbon dioxide under the rug-far, far under the rug-leaving a problem for our descendants to solve. Even more worrisome, though, is the attachment of the word "clean" to coal, an oxymoron of the highest degree, and one that further enables the coal industry's destruction of our communities and environment. The loss of human lives, the loss of homes, the loss of clean water, and the loss of the forested mountains are among the dirty secrets justified by the industry's term "clean coal." From cradle to grave, coal takes a horrible toll, a toll magnified by increasing demand. Using the term "clean coal" propagates the industry's myth.

Admittedly, Mr. Canine's article does address mountaintop removal-briefly, on the last page of a lengthy article. The rest of the article, however, assists the coal marketers who wreck our homeland proclaiming the wonders of "cleaner and greener" coal. We, the representatives of Friends of the Mountains, urge you to give mountaintop removal at least the same level of attention you've given to "clean coal." Please print a full article on mountaintop removal and recent developments submitted either by Friends of the Mountains or a reporter of your choice. We ask this as friends and allies committed to preserving the health of people, the environment, and the planet.

Sincerely,

Bo Webb
Coal River Mountain Watch

Vivian Stockman
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

Julian Martin
West Virginia Highlands Conservancy

Danny Dolinger
Appalachian Treasures field organizer

Margaret Janes
Appalachian Center for the Economy and Environment

Hillary Hosta
Coalfield Sustainability Project

Larry Gibson
Keeper of the Mountains Foundation

Maria Gunnoe
OVEC coalfield community organizer

Liz Garland
Executive Director, West Virginia Rivers Coalition