Bring Back Coal Mining Public Health Study!

In keeping with the Trump administration's efforts to quash everything President Obama implemented, the Interior Department has ordered a halt to a public health study on the risks of mountaintop-removal coal mining for residents living in the Appalachian Mountains.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine received a letter ordering them to halt the study while the Interior Department undergoes a budgetary review.

Please sign this petition demanding that the Interior Department restore the study immediately.

Mountaintop mining is a process used to extract underlying coal. As part of the process, mining companies dispose of rubble in surrounding valleys and streams, causing significant pollution and health risks to nearby residents. Studies have found higher mortality rates, increased incidence of cause lung cancer and kidney disease, and a higher rate of birth defects in communities near these mining sites.

Trump has vowed to revive the dying coal industry despite growing demand for natural gas and renewable energy sources. The decision to halt this study is an obvious attempt to appease coal mining companies and obscure the severe health risks associated with coal mining.

Residents of the Appalachian Mountains deserve clean air and water. Please sign this petition demanding that the Interior Department allow the public health study to continue immediately.