Ecorazzi

After her successful work in drawing attention to Sarah Palin’s aerial wolf hunting policies in Alaska, actress Ashley Judd is now teaming up with the Sierra Club to ask the Obama Administration to step in and protect the mountains, streams and people of Appalachia from mountaintop removal.

As we wrote last month, Judd recently spoke at a rally organized by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. “I grew up in Kentucky, and like so many Appalachians, just seeing our beautiful mountains and valleys tells me I am home,” she said. “Our mountains are our heritage and our legacy to future generations. But big coal companies are using explosives to literally blow the tops off the mountains, extract the coal and destroy Appalachia.”

According to the EPA, the damage is pretty gruesome. Close to 2,000 miles of streams have been contaminated or destroyed by mountaintop removal, and communities throughout the Appalachian region suffer daily from contaminated drinking water, increased flooding, and a decimated landscape. The Sierra Club is urging people to become involved by visiting their website and signing a letter to the Obama administration voicing your protest. The goal is 20,000 signatures.

To learn more about mouaintop removal, please visit ilovemountains.org.