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Press Release May 31, 2012

Mountain Heroes, Supported by Celebrities and the Public, Join Earthjustice Campaign To Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining

Edward Norton, Woody Harrelson, John Slattery, Wendell Berry, Leilani Munter, and more join Appalachian heroes and American public in standing up for mountains, communities, and water

Press Release September 12, 2012

Mountain Heroes and Citizens Gather at White House To Call on Nation's Leaders To End Mountaintop Removal Mining

A Solidarity Day at White House and historic photo petition delivery to save communities, public health, and mountains

Mountain Heroes collects stories and inspiration from the fight to end mountaintop removal mining.
(Background Image: iStockphoto)
Article June 4, 2012

Introducing Our New Mountain Heroes Website and Campaign

Over our years of working to stop mountaintop removal mining, we at Earthjustice have met so many brave and dedicated people fighting for their communities, mountains and waters. In 2010, Earthjustice launched our “Mountain Heroes” campaign to share their inspiring stories and show that this is not just a fight for the environment—it’s a fight…

Article July 24, 2012

Daryl Hannah Making Splash For Mountain Heroes

Daryl Hannah is best known as an actor in films such as Splash, Blade Runner, Roxanne, Wall Street, and Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2. But outside of the studio, she is a vocal environmental activist who dedicates herself to raising awareness of climate change, sustainable farming energy solutions, and of course, mountaintop removal. For…

Article August 24, 2012

Musicians Join Hit Parade As Mountain Heroes

The next artist is My Morning Jacket, a band from Louisville, KY. They have been outspoken environmental advocates for many years, working hard with partners such as Rock The Earth to educate their fans and concert-goers about critical environmental issues, and have played at festivals such as the Forecastle Festival, which promotes sustainability and conservation. In 2010, lead singer and guitarist Jim James collaborated with other Kentucky musicians to release Dear Companion, an album that draws attention to the problems caused by mountaintop removal coal mining. It’s amazing to have him join our Mountain Hero cause!

Wolverines, says journalist and wildlife biologist Douglas H. Chadwick, are "not afraid of anything. They climb peaks that human climbers turn back from. So they're just fearless, and they're tireless, and they got no end of attitude."
(Photo Courtesy of Dale Pedersen)
Article December 6, 2023

Keeping the Wolverine Wild in a Climate Crisis

New federal protections secured through Earthjustice litigation will help ensure that wolverines, a snow-dependent species, can survive a warming world.

Article June 7, 2012

The Many Humble Heroes of Appalachia

As we were working on our new campaign ("Mountain Heroes") to stop mountaintop removal coal mining, many of the folks who shared their stories told us they felt bashful about being called "heroes." In our society today, when we talk about a hero many of us imagine a caped figure flying through the sky, lifting…

Mountain Heroes collects stories and inspiration from the fight to end mountaintop removal mining.
(Background Image: iStockphoto)
Article August 8, 2012

Kayford Mountain, Prettiest Lady I've Ever Seen

This is the story of a man who fell in love with a mountain and his struggle to keep it and all mountains from being destroyed by coal mining.

Article July 20, 2012

Terry Tempest Williams Joins Mountain Hero Campaign

Fighting against mountaintop removal, this week we’re proud to announce the support of an incredibly strong woman: writer and activist Terry Tempest Williams. We know our supporters care deeply about the welfare of animals in the wild, and saw this vividly on our Facebook page when we highlighted the animals of Appalachia in a photo…

Article June 19, 2012

Bill Will Protect Communities, Families From Mountaintop Removal

Big news today in our fight to end destructive mountaintop removal mining: 13 congressional leaders joined to introduce legislation to protect communities and families from the dangerous health effects of our nation’s most extreme form of coal mining—mountaintop removal mining. The Appalachian Community Health Emergency Act is the first federal legislation to address the human…

Article June 25, 2012

Mountain Hero Gets Help from Author Wendell Berry

Junior Walk is not a celebrity. He grew up in Whitesville, West Virginia, born into a family of coal miners and workers. When he was just a kid, the water in his family’s home became contaminated with coal slurry. Though it was blood-red and smelled like sulfur, Junior, who was just a child at the…

A waterfall in the Appalachian mountains
(Konstantin L / Shutterstock)
Press Release: Victory July 11, 2014

Federal Appeals Court Upholds EPA Efforts To Protect Appalachian Waters and Communities

Court rejects coal industry’s challenge to Obama Administration’s effort to rein in mountaintop removal mining

The historic Mountain Heroes photo petition featured photos, messages and stories from more than 13,000 people across the country who are calling for an end to mountaintop removal mining.
(Composite of user-submitted photos)
Article September 13, 2012

Stand With Appalachia Solidarity Day

Today’s the day that we deliver our Mountain Heroes photo petition to the Obama administration! This massive photo petition is historic—it includes photos and personal messages and stories from more than 13,500 people across the country who wrote to President Obama and his administration for an end to mountaintop removal mining. It’s the largest photo petition ever to be delivered to the president, and it’s all about ending the nation’s most destructive mining practice, protecting Appalachian families and communities, and standing up for clean water, healthy communities, environmental justice, and beautiful mountains and wildlife.

Press Release February 6, 2013

House Representatives Introduce Bill To Protect Public Health in Appalachia

ACHE Act calls for scientific studies on health impacts of mountaintop removal mining

Larry Gibson (1946–2012), watching the sun set over a decimated Kayford Mountain.
(Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)
Article September 10, 2012

Part Of Me Stayed There

Imagine for a moment that you live in a beautiful forest. Your home is on the side of a big mountain. All around it are tall trees and elegant flowers. After a long day of work you come home. You are tired. Dinner smells delicious. You smile at your family. Everyone sits down at the…

Larry Gibson (1946–2012), watching the sun set over a decimated Kayford Mountain.
(Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)
Article September 10, 2012

Hero For Those "Who Don't Have A Say"

The fight to end mountaintop removal will not stop until mountaintop removal stops, but yesterday we lost one of the most beloved heroes and leaders of the movement. Larry Gibson, the Keeper of the Mountains, died on Kayford Mountain, a sacred place he fought for three decades to save. He recalled how, 30 years ago, some…

Larry Gibson stands on Kayford Mountain in West Virginia.
(Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)
video February 26, 2014

A Hero is Someone Who Doesn’t Get Used to This

Mountain Hero Larry Gibson’s courage to stand up against mountaintop removal mining inspired and gave voice to countless other Americans who live with the injustices of environmental pollution and destruction.

Article September 20, 2012

Happy 98th To Living Legend Ken Hechler

No one who has met Ken will ever forget him. I first met him in 1999 when I started at Earthjustice. Joe Lovett of Appalachian Mountain Advocates and his colleagues had just won the first-ever federal court ruling against mountaintop removal. This set off a political firestorm in West Virginia and at the U.S. Capitol.…