There is much action throughout the blogs today urging President Obama to actually visit West Virginia and see for himself the devastation caused by mountaintop removal mining. Good stuff.

As ugly as MTR is, and as destructive as it's proving to be in WV, the Appalachian coal region isn't the only place threatened by this criminal activity. Here in the west, about 200 miles north of where I live, there are plans on the table to commence MTR mining and coal bed methane extraction in the Canadian Flathead. Some of these mining projects are within a few miles of Waterton-Glacier Peace Park. Aside from the unconscionable practice of blowing the tops off of mountains to extract the coal underneath, such mining would have severe impacts on Glacier and Waterton parks as well as the wilderness and wildlife of the entire region. Should a waste leak occur, and it most likely would, the waters of Glacier National Park would be contaminated with toxic mine waste within 24 hours. and the entire Flathead drainage in the US and Canada  would be impacted.

Eleven environmental groups have petitioned UNESCO, under the guidance of Earthjustice,  to designate Waterton-Glacier as an international Heritage Site in danger. You can read more here in an Earthjustice news release.