Hear, hear! These mountains need a lot of help.
“I think they should name it something better. The top ends up flatter, but we’re not talking about Mount Everest. We’re talking about these little knobby hills that are everywhere out here. And I’ve seen the reclaimed lands. One of them is 800 acres, with a sports complex on it, elk roaming, covered in grass.”
-Rand Paul Senator of Kentucky
By this same logic:
- It’s okay for me to set fire to your lawn, because “we’re not talking about the Great Plains here.”
- It’s okay for me to burn down your house, because “we’re not talking about Buckingham Palace here.”
- It’s okay for me to kill your dog, because “we’re not talking about Lassie here.”
This doesn’t even take into account the fact that the Appalachians are the oldest mountain range in North America, filled with an astounding variety of flora and fauna. There are over 6,000 species of plants, as well as 255 documented species of birds, 78 mammals, 58 reptiles, and 76 amphibians. Of these, many are found only in the Appalachians and the adjoining lowlands.
Okay, Rand… I’ll grant you that the Appalachians may not be the most tallest mountain range, but they’re still pretty damn impressive and worth saving.
04
August
This text was reblogged from recoveringhipster and originally by recoveringhipster.
#appalachia #coal mining #environment #rand paul #mountaintop removal
