Go Tell It on the Mountain

Talk about an end-of-term kiss off: You've already heard that the Bush administration is proposing a rule to allow its BFF, the coal industry, the wherewithal to pollute where they want, when they want—by blasting the tops of once-pristine mountains and letting the debris tumble into valleys and streams, uprooting families, and poisoning aquifers.

Not to mention that an antiquated mining law (read: 1872) is threatening Yosemite, Yellowstone, and other national parks. (See a map of mining claims near the Grand Canyon.)

Here's a video about the destruction wrecked by mountaintop removal coal mining, including excerpts from the documentary Kilowatt Ours, featuring Woody Harrelson and an original recording of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," performed by Willie Nelson.

The rule is still up for review for another 54 days. Environmental Action wants to collect 200,000 public comments opposing this homicidal measure, while Friends of the Earth has provided a handy Web form that will zip your protests off to your representatives in Congress and the Senate.

You can also investigate the damage for yourself by comparing before and after images, taken from Google Earth, of 16 mountains destroyed by mountaintop removal. Make some noise before Big Coal drowns us out. ::I Love Mountains, ::Environmental Action, and ::Friends of the Earth