Volume VII, #7 Feb 17, 2009
"Massey's a big winner. Patriot's a big winner. Alpha's a winner." -- an unnamed coal industry source on the recent court decision easing the way for mountaintop removal coal mining operations, cited in the Coal & Industry Price Report In this issue 1) Victory: EPA Takes First Step to Regulate CO2 from Coal Plants 2) Take Action: Tell EPA to End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining 3) Take Action: See the Other Side of the Fence 4) Economic Recovery: President Obama Signs Bill into Law   1) Victory: EPA Takes First Step to Regulate CO2 from Coal Plants President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will reconsider the midnight memo issued by former EPA Administrator Steven Johnson which sought to prohibit controls on global warming pollution from coal-fired power plants. The decision should halt virtually all new coal plant development until EPA decides how to address global warming pollution from coal plants.   2) Take Action: Tell EPA to End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining On Friday, a panel of federal judges ruled in favor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a controversial mountaintop removal mining case. The ruling would permit mining companies to conduct devastating mountaintop removal coal mining operations without acting to minimize stream destruction or conducting adequate environmental reviews. As a result, Appalachia could be facing as many as 150 new mountaintop removal coal mining operations, 90 in West Virginia alone, which would destroy huge swaths of the Appalachian Mountains. Tell EPA to take charge and end mountaintop removal coal mining!   3) Take Action: See the Other Side of the Fence Join the Sierra Club to take an up close look at the impact of our current free trade model on the environment and communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Visit factories, dump sites and workers' settlements in Tijuana and hear from factory workers and activists who are working to improve environmental protections, workers' rights and public health. Culminating with a stop at the border fence in San Diego, this tour will provide an incredible opportunity to learn more about the far-reaching impacts of our international trade agreements. Sign up today!  4) Economic Recovery: President Obama Signs Bill into Law President Obama today signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. With green investments of close to $100 billion, the bill makes an important down payment on solutions that will transform America's economy, lead to a clean energy future and invest in training the next generation of workers. Thanks to all of you who helped make this a strong bill that will truly get our country going in the right direction with good jobs and smart solutions!
Currents is the Sierra Club's weekly e-mail update providing you with facts, stories, quotes, and "take action" features. Subscribe to Currents. Unsubscribe from Currents. Tell a Friend about Currents. View previous editions of Currents. Become a Sierra Club Member. Want to keep up with the Sierra Club's latest activities and news? Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the Sierra Club's flagship e-newsletter sent out twice a month. The Insider provides everything from information on new reports and issues to planning great hiking trips to how you can help change environmental policy. View recent editions of the Insider.

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