Washington (Platts)--8May2007

Keen on reducing mountaintop mining activities in Appalachia and other
coal-mining regions, environmental groups are taking their campaign to the
United Nations. 

The event planned May 8 at the UN may actually be more about instigating
negative publicity for coal mining practices and forcing politicians to react
with new legislation than actually seeking any action from the international
body. 

"We're here to get publicity," said Kevin Pence, a spokesman for Kentuckians
for the Commonwealth, who will speak at today's event. "This is all about
educating people about mountaintop mining issues and making changes in policy
at the federal and state levels."

Several environmental groups, including Save Our Cumberland Mountains and Ohio
Valley Environmental Council, will hold the event at the UN to call on the
agency's Commission on Sustainable Development to "abolish radical forms of
coal surface mining, such as mountaintop removal," the groups said in a news
release that has been distributed on dozens of environmental groups' web
sites. 

Environmental groups have been lobbying state and federal politicians to pay
more attention to what they see as mining practices that damage local
environments. 

To counter the negative publicity from environmental groups, coal mining
companies have been arguing that the claims about the dangers of mountaintop
mining are exaggerated, and the benefits that come with mining jobs and
investments are outweighing any negative effects on the environment. 

"The best way I find to counter these views is simply to point out the facts:
The US more than any other industrial country relies on coal to generate its
enormous need for electric power and mountaintop mining is an efficient and
safe method for mining high-quality coal," said National Mining Association
spokesman Luke Popovich. "These operations must comply with myriad state and
federal laws, submit detailed engineering plans for approval to agencies
before commencing and, of course, are required by law to reclaim the site
following mining."

		-- Marcin Skomial, marcin_skomial@platts.com