Based on yesterday's blog, I wrote up an action alert for our folks on the issue -- keep reading to learn a little more, and to see how to send an email to the Office of Surface Mining, the folks working on the new MTR regs.

The Obama Administration is working on new rules to govern mountaintop removal mining. That's a lot like setting up new rules on mugging people. It's always bad, no matter what, and needs to be stopped.

Click here to let the folks at the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) know that mountaintop removal mining needs to be banned.

This mining practice is one of the most destructive activities undertaken by humans. First, the mining company clearcuts a mountain, then they blast the top off with dynamite and scoop out the ore. The waste (much of it toxic) gets dumped into the valley next to the mountain, often choking off streams and polluting waterways.

Thanks to mountaintop removal mining, over five hundred mountains throughout Appalachia have been destroyed, and hundreds of miles of waterways have been buried or polluted. Put simply, there's no way to make destroying a mountain 'ok', no matter what kind of regulation you pass.

It's a question of banning it altogether -- so please, send the OSM an email, and let them know you want the practice banned.

Thanks for your work.