Mountain top removal and the resulting valley fills are changing the face of West Virginia forever. Our mountains are being cut down and our streams buried under rubble. At least 500 miles of streams have already been buried under valley fills.

Senate Bill 145 - passed by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor this year - makes it cheaper and easier for big coal companies to ruin our streams through mountain top removal and valley fills. Recent trends suggest West Virginians will lose more of their rugged mountain tops, communities and incredible streams if action is not taken.

The situation in West Virginia has become so critical that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stepped in to do individual permits reviews for coal companies who do this type of mining. EPA is also considering taking a formal big picture look at all of the impacts mountain top removal & valley fill mining produces. Encourage EPA to stand up & step in!

ACTION - Please write a letter to Michael McCabe, the Regional Administrator of the EPA - Region III and your Congressional Delegates.

* Ask EPA to prepare a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for mountain top removal and valley fill activities and mitigation in West Virginia. This type of EIS will look at all of the impacts.

* Request that the cumulative impacts of this method of mining be studied. Specifically, ask that EPA look at the environmental, social and economic impacts to the affected communities and watersheds. Tell them you want to know if the $ made by the coal companies is really worth the environmental, social and financial costs to the people of West Virginia.

Mail to: Mr. Michael McCabe, Regional Administrator

EPA - Region III 841 Chestnut Street (3RA00) Philadelphia, PA 19107-4431

Senator Robert C. Byrd Room 311 Hart Building

United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV

Room 531, Hart Building

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Representative Alan Mollohan U. S. House of Representatives

2346 Rayburn Building

Washington, DC 20515

Representative Bob Wise

U. S. House of Representatives

2367 Rayburn Building

Washington, DC 20515

Representative Nick J. Rahall

U.S. House of Representatives 2307 Rayburn Building

Washington, DC 20515 _