Comment submitted by Anne Ambler, Sierra Club

Blasting mountains and dumping them into streams clearly destroys those streams, contrary to the Clean Water Act. Toxins from coal and coal ash indisputably poison the surface and ground water for miles around. I congratulate the EPA on finally seeing the obvious. As to economic "benefit" of mountain decapitation to the local population, why do you suppose coal mining regions are the poorest in the country? Sure, coal makes money for someone, but not for the people who live where the mountains are torn apart, wells poisoned, and towns washed away in black floods of coal sludge. Economically, these people would be much better off without coal. Please see attached file. Anne Ambler, Silver Spring, MD