Comment & Debate
Mountain Justice: “Coal companies are supposed to reclaim land, but all too often mine sites are left stripped and bare. Even where attempts to replant vegetation have been made, the mountain is never again returned to its healthy state.”
“44 Activists Illegally Plant Trees Against Mountaintop Removal.” Earth First Newswire. October 25th, 2010 “44 volunteer ‘reclamation workers’ (activists) illegally marched onto a supposedly reclaimed mine site to plant trees. Why? Because the ‘reclamation’ efforts done by the mining company resulted in a barren hillside with sparse grass and baking sun – a far cry from the lush and diverse forest destroyed in the process. After negotiating with the police and planting all the trees, all activists were allowed to leave the site without repurcussions. Former EF! journalista John Johnson said, ‘The coal industry does not attempt to return the landscape to its previous biodiversity – leaving it up to the citizens to reclaim it themselves. Fixing the ruined landscape will provide long term jobs for those put out of work by the abolition of mountaintop removal.'”