VIDEO LIST from United Mountain Defense
Army Corp of Engineers Nationwide Permit 21 ENJOY!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdn5qQ9IBs
ACOE Protest in support of Banning NWP 21 Knoxville, TN 10-13-09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uSYnkxxoU8
Dan Roling of National Coal Corporation says United Mountain Defense is impacting their business more than a severance tax  10-13-09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zffajQERNcQ 
Religious Comments at the ACOE Nationwide Coal Permit 21 hearing Knoxville, TN 10-13-09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9r_JXzsXyU
Sample Comments at the ACOE Nationwide Coal Permit 21 hearing Knoxville, TN 10-13-09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGtGjyYzj0Y 
Legal/ Lawyer Comments at the ACOE Nationwide Coal Permit 21 hearing Knoxville, TN 10-13-09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVvsOXLCgbI
Scientific Comments at the ACOE Nationwide Coal Permit 21 hearing Knoxville, TN 10-13-09

Dear folks,  

I am sorry to hear of the negative expiriences of folks in Kentucky and West Virginia during the Army Corp Nationwide Permit 21 hearings.  It is truely saddening when you can't go to a public hearing and present comments in a "democratic" society.  The hearing in Knoxville was truely empowering which is probably the first of its kind for myself, we are winning.  I have had a whirlwind of video production since and finally got these six videos up online. 
 
I would request that you send in written/ emailed comments to the Army Corp supporting the ban on Nationwide Permit 21 and make sure to request Alabama be added to the list of states where the ban on Nationwide Permit 21.  In case you didn't know Alabama has more than 100 active coal mines, many of which are surface mines. 
email comments to:
lrp.webinquiries@usace.army.mil
 
Matt Landon United Mountain Defense Volunteer staff person :)
 www.unitedmountaindefense.org

 **PLEASE FORWARD FAR AND WIDE TO ALL FACEBOOKS, MYSPACES, LISTSERVS, WEB PAGES--EVERYWHERE**

We really, really, really need you to take a minute out of your day to contact the Army Corp of Engineers.

We are making undreamed on gains in the fight against strip mining and Mountain Top Removal for coal--and as a result the coal industry is freaking the hell out. We need your help to push this momentum into ending blowing up our ancient majestic mountains for coal.

Currently the Army Corp of Engineers is hosting a series regarding a rubber stamp called Nation Wide Permit 21 (aka NWP 21). At its essence its an automatic permit for strip mining.

http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/diwms/news.asp?id=130

The Corp wants to change this to do individual permits. How important this is cannot be overstated.

The mining industries public relations firms orchestrated shipping busloads of people to the hearings to intimidate and harass anti strip mine activist--shouting them down as they tried to testify, literally crowding some activist up against a wall while chanting requiring a police escort through their masses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtwceseZz4w

These corporate financed efforts are reminiscent of the same tactics that were used in the health care shout downs, tea baggers and overt right wing fox sponsored activities. Many of the pro-coal people who testified escalated the anti-Obama anti-democrat tactics to an entire new level at these hearings. And they completely missed the point.
They brought a knife to a gun fight.

Shouting, threatening and bullying do not get in the administrative record--comments do. We can overwhelm the Army Corp of Engineers with comments and neutralize any advantage the tactics of the pro mountain top removal crowd. The Corp is accepting written comments until the 26th! We have over a week to bury them in comments. Help.

We need you to take a minute to comment, email, write the Army Corp of Engineers to tell them you support the revocation of NWP in favor a permit by permit process. No two mountains are the same, no to streams
are the same, no two strip mines are the same--the one size fits all practice that is NWP has failed miserably and need to be revoked.

Additional points you can make are:

1. Northern Alabama needs to be added to the list.
2. No grandfathering of permits should be allowed. Past permits should be reviewed to make sure they meet the spirit and intent of the Clean Water Act.

3. The Corps has long recognized that “the purpose of the NWP program is to reduce regulatory delays and burdens on the public, to place greater reliance on state and local controls, and to free our limited resources for more effective regulation of other activities with greater potential to adversely impact the aquatic environment.” 56 Fed. Reg. 14, 598—14, 605 (Apr. 10, 1991).

Unless they've mistyped this, it could be very useful. Possible points to make about this:

1. Constantly fighting coal companies and failed agencies to protect our homes, lives, water, and communities is a much greater burden on the public.

2. We have no state or local controls. WVDEP is a failed agency that fails to control illegal coal company activity.

3. Nothing adversely impacts the aquatic environment more than burying it.

You can email your comments directly to the Army Corp of Engineers at:

lrp.webinquiries@usace.army.mil

Written comments:



U.S. Army Corp of Engineers

Attn: CECW-CO, Ms. Desiree Hann
441 G Street, NW., Washington DC 20314-1000

Call:
Pittsburgh Regulatory Branch: (412) 395-7155 or
Ms. Hann at (202)761-4560


Public Notice:
http://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/or/or-f/09-46.pdf

FAX: (412) 644-2811

Please, please be polite--the opposition has been rude enough for everyone. We ask this not for any one person but for mountain people, not for any one mountain but for all of our mountains.