Helping Our Neighbors in Appalachia End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

*APPALACHIAN TREASURES*

Helping Our Neighbors in Appalachia End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

~ Free event in San Francisco ~

Wednesday, Nov. 7th at 7:30-9:30

Join us at The Women's Building; 3543 18th St # 8 in the Mission (a few blocks from 16th St./Mission BART)

For more information, contact Scott Parkin; 415-235-0596; dirtymoney [at] ran.org

Hosted by Rainforest Action Network
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mountaintop removal coal mining is one of the most heartbreaking environmental and human rights issues happening in United States right now.

Using large amounts of explosives, coal companies literally blast off mountaintops, removing up to 1000 feet of elevation. The dirt and rock left over after the coal is removed is then dumped into adjacent valleys, burying streams. Over 1200 miles of streams have already been buried. Each of these mines can be as large as 10 square miles.

Families and communities near mountaintop removal mines are forced to deal with destruction of their water supplies, continual dynamite blasting that damages homes and wells & creates choking dust, and the fear of fatal, catastrophic floods with every rainfall.

Some of the poorest counties in the United States are found in the coalfields, and high school completion rates are low in these areas. These communities are being depopulated at astonishing rates, as it is dangerous to live in these areas, and is also due to the effort of coal companies to push out communities that have been established for generations.

Mountaintop removal coal mining is destroying the region's rich culture & heritage, as well as the ancient, beautiful mountains and diverse forests of the Appalachian range, which one of America's most amazing treasures.

Join Lenny Kohm, Campaign Director for Appalachian Voices for a powerful & compelling presentation on mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia. Learn how you can help your neighbors in Appalachia end mountaintop removal.