Jeff Biggers: BREAKING NEWS: Change is Gonna Come: EPA Halts Mountaintop Removal Permits

It's been a long time coming, but the EPA made a breakthrough announcement today, calling for a halt to hundreds of mountaintop removal permits, in order to address their impact on water quality. Whether this is the beginning of a transition to abolish mountaintop removal is yet to be seen, but it is a huge step forward for our country. While you're reading the EPA press release, enjoy Ben Sollee, a great anti-mountaintop removal advocate and his version of a Change is Gonna Come: (Washington, D.C. - March 24, 2009) The United States Environmental Protection Agency has sent two letters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality caused by certain types of coal mining practices, such as mountaintop mining. The letters specifically addressed two new surface coal mining operations in West Virginia and Kentucky. EPA also intends to review other requests for mining permits. "The two letters ... (link)