On Wednesday, Appalachian Voices announced the Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act, a bill that would end North Carolina’s use of coal obtained from mountaintop removal mining. If the bill is passed, North Carolina would be the first state in the nation to implement such legislation. Representative Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) introduced the bill into the state legislature.
Thirteen North Carolina power plants purchase coal from mountaintop removal mine sites, according to Appalachian Voices.
Sixty-one percent of the electricity used to power North Carolina homes and businesses is generated by coal-fired power plants. Nationwide, North Carolina is second only to Georgia in its use of mountaintop removal coal.
Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extremely destructive form of strip mining found throughout Appalachia, with some mines as big as the island of Manhattan. Local citizens living close to mountaintop mining sites say that the process destroys communities, poisons water supplies, pollutes the air, decimates our nation’s natural heritage, and exacerbates the climate crisis.
More info: <a href=”http://www.ilovemountains.org”>ilovemountains.org</a>
