hat we do: We work to protect local communities and environments from irresponsible mining practices.

Clean Water & Mountaintop Removal Mining The Dirty Truth About Coal Environmental Justice: Central Appalachia Sierra Club Productions: The Appalachians Stopping the Coal Rush Factsheets & Resources Get Involved!

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Mountaintop Removal Mining: An Overview
In places like Appalachia, mining companies blow the tops off mountains to reach a thin seam of coal and then, to minimize waste disposal costs, dump millions of tons of waste rock into the valleys below, causing permanent damage to the ecosystem and landscape.

This destructive practice, known as mountaintop removal mining, has damaged or destroyed approximately 1,200 miles of streams, destroyed forests on some 300 square miles of land, disrupted drinking water supplies, flooded communities, and destroyed wildlife habitat.

Meet the people fighting to protect Appalachia.

Feature: Rule to Expand Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

A new rule proposed by the federal government would remove one of the last remaining protections for the waters of Appalachia, opening the way for more devastating mining practices. Under the new rule mining companies could legally dump harmful waste directly into rivers and streams regardless of the damage caused to stream health or drinking water sources.

Find out how you can help protect Appalachia's streams.

Feature: Massey Energy to Pay Huge Penalty for Clean Water Act Violations

Massey Energy will pay $20 million in fines levied against them by the U.S. EPA for thousands of Clean Water Act permit violations associated with their mining operations, including mountaintop removal mining. The agreement comes after the federal government found that Massey illegally dumped coal slurry waste, rubble, wastewater and other pollutants into Appalachian waterways. The Sierra Club had joined federal prosecutors and other environmental groups in the lawsuit.

Learn more about Massey's flagrant disregard for the law.