From Sept. 25-27, members of the Environmental Action Group will be participating in Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization in the District of Columbia to end mountaintop removal mining, a devastating form of coal production.
Unlike traditional mining that extracts coal from underground, mountaintop removal mining does exactly what the name implies: The tops of mountains are blown off in order to reach the seams of coal underneath.
Not only is mountaintop removal mining an environmental catastrophe, it is also a violation of human rights x it destroys the homeland of coalfield residents and damages their health through toxic substances that contaminate their air and water. To date, more than 500 mountains in Appalachia have been destroyed, over 2,000 square miles of streams and rivers have been buried and an estimated area in excess of 1 million acres lies in ruin.
The goal of Appalachia Rising is to demand a permanent end to mountaintop removal and a just transition to a clean energy economy in Appalachia. Appalachia Rising will consist of two major parts. The first part will focus on providing participants with the skills they need to be effective allies in the fight against mountaintop removal mining.
On Saturday, informational workshops will be offered and on Sunday, skills-based workshops will focus on training participants on how to organize to end mountaintop removal mining. All events will take place at George Washington University starting at 9 a.m.
The second part of Appalachia Rising will focus on mass mobilization to end mountaintop removal mining. The plan is to pressure government leaders to eradicate this violation of human rights by holding a rally on Monday, Sept. 27 at Freedom Plaza and then marching to the White House.
You can register to be a part of Appalachia Rising at www.appalachiarising.org. We can bring an end to mountaintop removal mining, but we need your help. Please join us.
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