Petition To Demand A Stop of Current Coal Mines and For No More Constructed In Indiana
- by: Peter Scott
- recipient: Indiana Governor Mike Pence and the Indiana General Assembly
Coal kills people, pollutes the air, pollutes our waters, destroys mountains and pollutes our fish. There are currently seven different active underground coal mines in Indiana. In 2011, Indiana coal mines produced 16,469,269 tons of coal.
The American Lung Association and the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) claims that 13,000 people die each year from coal pollution in America--down from 24,000 in 2004, when less pollution regulation was enforced. In addition to the premature deaths, CATF estimates that every year coal pollution is responsible for 12,000 emergency room visits, 20,000 heart attacks, and over 200,000 asthma attacks.
Coal mining requires an estimated 70 to 260 million gallons of water every day.
More than 1,200 miles of Appalachian streams have been buried or damaged by mountaintop removal mining. At least 724 miles of streams were completely buried by valley fills from Appalachian mountaintop removal between 1985 and 2001.
400,000 acres of rich and diverse temperate forests have been destroyed during the same time period as a result of mountaintop mining in Appalachia.
49 U.S. states have issued fish consumption advisories due to high mercury concentrations in freshwater bodies throughout the country.
Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of human-generated mercury pollution in the U.S. Mercury emissions from electrical generation continues to rise. Mercury in mothers' blood and breast milk can interfere with the development of babies' brains and neurological systems and can lead to learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, problems with coordination, lowered IQ and even mental retardation. Despite these deadly consequences, coal lobbyists have successfully delayed mercury pollution controls for years at the expense of tens of thousands of lives.
Coal-fired power plant emissions also contain many other toxic elements and compounds, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), particulate matter, hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF), arsenic, and heavy metals like chromium and cadmium.
Similar to global warming, black lung disease, and acid rain, coal company lobbyists delay mercury pollution regulations, denying the gravity of the issue rather than proactively finding solutions.
Instead of traditional mining, many coal companies now use mountaintop removal to extract coal.
Coal companies are increasingly using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require.
Mountaintop removal involves clear cutting native hardwood forests, using dynamite to blast away as much as 800-1000 feet of mountaintop, and then dumping the waste into nearby valleys, often burying streams.
Please sign this petition to ask our legislators to act now on stopping the pollution of coal mines in Indiana. Without them being stopped, immense environmental destruction may destroy the health, water, fish and mountains of Indiana.
Coal kills people, pollutes the air, pollutes our waters, destroys mountains and pollutes our fish. There are currently seven different active underground coal mines in Indiana. In 2011, Indiana coal mines produced 16,469,269 tons of coal.
The American Lung Association and the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) claims that 13,000 people die each year from coal pollution in America--down from 24,000 in 2004, when less pollution regulation was enforced. In addition to the premature deaths, CATF estimates that every year coal pollution is responsible for 12,000 emergency room visits, 20,000 heart attacks, and over 200,000 asthma attacks.
Coal mining requires an estimated 70 to 260 million gallons of water every day.
More than 1,200 miles of Appalachian streams have been buried or damaged by mountaintop removal mining. At least 724 miles of streams were completely buried by valley fills from Appalachian mountaintop removal between 1985 and 2001.
400,000 acres of rich and diverse temperate forests have been destroyed during the same time period as a result of mountaintop mining in Appalachia.
49 U.S. states have issued fish consumption advisories due to high mercury concentrations in freshwater bodies throughout the country.
Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of human-generated mercury pollution in the U.S. Mercury emissions from electrical generation continues to rise. Mercury in mothers' blood and breast milk can interfere with the development of babies' brains and neurological systems and can lead to learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, problems with coordination, lowered IQ and even mental retardation. Despite these deadly consequences, coal lobbyists have successfully delayed mercury pollution controls for years at the expense of tens of thousands of lives.
Coal-fired power plant emissions also contain many other toxic elements and compounds, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), particulate matter, hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF), arsenic, and heavy metals like chromium and cadmium.
Similar to global warming, black lung disease, and acid rain, coal company lobbyists delay mercury pollution regulations, denying the gravity of the issue rather than proactively finding solutions.
Instead of traditional mining, many coal companies now use mountaintop removal to extract coal.
Coal companies are increasingly using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require.
Mountaintop removal involves clear cutting native hardwood forests, using dynamite to blast away as much as 800-1000 feet of mountaintop, and then dumping the waste into nearby valleys, often burying streams.
Please act now on stopping the pollution of coal mines in Indiana. Without them being stopped, immense environmental destruction may destroy the health, water, fish and mountains of Indiana.
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