Take action: Keep more than 170 million tons of coal in the ground!

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Photo: Earth Justice

The U.S. Forest Service is considering letting the second biggest coal company in the country bulldoze through thousands of acres of publicly-owned roadless forest in Colorado so they can mine millions of tons of taxpayer-owned coal. This plan would give Arch Coal access to 172 million tons of coal with the potential to release up to 486 million tons of carbon pollution. In fact, the Forest Service’s own analysis found that this carbon pollution could cause up to $13 billion in damages to the world’s economy and environment. It will also keep 40,000 gigawatt-hours of clean energy electricity -- equivalent to approximately 150,000 homes with solar panels producing energy for 20 years -- off the market over the lifetime of the project.

Before the Forest Service approves this loophole, they must consider the impact on the environment -- and it’s clear that this deal is all risk and no reward.

Take action now to tell the Forest Service to protect our forests, reject the Arch Coal Loophole, and keep 170 million tons of taxpayer-owned coal in the ground where it belongs!

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I oppose the Forest Service proposal to reopen the coal mining loophole in the Colorado Roadless Rule.

Expanding Arch Coal’s mine would provide access to 170 million tons of coal with the potential to release up to 486 million tons of carbon pollution. In fact, your own analysis found that this carbon pollution could cause up to $13 billion in damage to the world’s economy and environment. It will also keep 40,000 gigawatt-hours of clean energy electricity -- equivalent to approximately 150,000 homes with solar panels producing energy for 20 years -- off the market over the lifetime of the project.  In addition, the existing mine already releases millions of cubic feet of methane -- which is 86 times more damaging to our climate than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period -- directly into our atmosphere every day. Expanding the mine and building new methane well pads would only exacerbate the damage at a time when we can least afford it.

This plan is dangerously out of step with the critical goal of cutting U.S. carbon emissions by 26 percent in ten years as well as the president’s goal of reducing emissions from federal agencies by 40 percent in the same time period.

This loophole would also set the stage for up to 72 miles of road being bulldozed on 30 square miles of roadless forest, degrading habitat for black bear, elk, goshawk, lynx, and cutthroat trout.

Please protect our climate and this beautiful roadless forest by rejecting the coal mining loophole to the Colorado Roadless Rule.

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