Mountaintop Removal Mining

Encourage Your Communion to Make A Statement!

Below is an example of a statement that you could use. Feel free to use it in its entirety or use it as a model to craft your own. Make sure you familiarize yourself with your communion ’s style for writing resolutions and their process for submitting and adopting resolutions.

WHEREAS, Psalm 24:1 tells us that “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it;” and
WHEREAS, Genesis 2:15 charges humankind with the responsibility to care for God’s creation and Numbers 35:33-34 requires that we do not pollute or defile the land in which we live; and
WHEREAS, mountaintop removal (MTR) is a destructive form of coal mining practiced in Appalachia that explodes mountaintops to expose coal located deep within the mountain; and
WHEREAS, MTR is causes great harm to the ecosystems, rivers, valleys, humans and other creatures located nearby the mountain; and
WHEREAS, MTR provides great wealth to the mining companies while reducing the need for human labor, thus further impoverishing communities in Appalachia;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that [communion] unequivocally opposes MTR as a legitimate means of mining coal; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that [communion] urges state and federal governments and regulatory agencies to regulate mining practices, to halt the practice of MTR and work to meet our nation’s energy needs in a manner that is just, sustainable and consistent with our call to care for creation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that [communion’s Washington office or Church and Society agency] monitor legislation and regulations related to MTR and send out action alerts to its members to engage in advocacy.

Even if your communion already has a statement on MTR, encourage your denominational leaders to heighten their advocacy efforts on MTR. A resolution against is a great start, but it needs to be followed by strong advocacy.

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