Banks| Dodgy Deals| Map| Campaigns
About us| Blog| Publications| Successes| Contact us| Donate
About BankTrack
Visit us
Organisation
Our team
Our board
Guiding principles
Team up with us
Join our Active Allies list
Our annual reports
Funding and finances
History
BankTrack in the media
Our privacy policy
Donate
2020-12-22 00:00:00
Blog: In 2020, the Equator Principles struggle to remain relevant
2020-12-14 00:00:00
The battle to stop Line 3 is heating up on the ground and across the US
2020-12-14 00:00:00
Corporate accountability and the just transition: Frameworks for holding corporations accountable for climate change
2020-12-12 00:00:00
Five years since the Paris Agreement, are banks' 2050 pledges enough to reign in fossil fuel finance?
2020-09-24 12:53:20
Oscislowo open-pit coal mine cancelled
2020-09-08 13:07:41
Strengthened OECD guidance on responsible banking
2020-02-25 10:35:27
JPMorgan Chase Coal and Arctic Policy a step forward but fails to match its climate responsibility as the world’s #1 Fossil Bank
2020-02-18 17:27:23
Civil society groups welcome Royal Bank of Scotland preparing to exit fossil fuels
Connect
2020-11-30 00:00:00
Soft Commitments, Hard Lessons: an analysis of the Soft Commodities Compact
2020-11-24 00:00:00
"Trust Us, We're Equator Banks": Part II
2020-11-18 00:00:00
Crude Risk: Risks to banks and investors from the East African Crude Oil Pipeline
2020-09-16 00:00:00
Principles for Paris-Aligned Financial Institutions: Climate Impact, Fossil Fuels and Deforestation
2020-08-17 00:00:00
"Trust Us, We're Equator Banks": Part I
2020-03-18 00:00:00
Banking on Climate Change - Fossil Fuel Finance Report 2020
See all publications
Browse
Home
Banks
Dodgy Deals
Map
Campaigns
About
About BankTrack
Donate
Contact BankTrack
Publications
Victories
Follow Us
News
BankTrack blog
Facebook page
Twitter channel
Home › Projects
Mountain top removal coal mining United States
About
Financiers
Companies
Impacts
Governance
Brief history
Documents
News
Media
Links
Updates

On record

This profile is no longer actively maintained, with the information now possibly out of date

Send feedback on this profile
Download as PDF
By: BankTrack
Created before Nov 2016
Last update: 2015-11-30 00:00:00

Share this page:

Sectors Coal Mining
Location

About Mountain top removal coal mining

Mountain top removal (MTR) mining is a form of strip mining in which coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1,000 feet off the tops of mountains order to reach the coal seams that lie underneath. The resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation are then dumped into surrounding valleys, burying miles and miles of streams under piles of rubble hundreds of feet deep. Mountaintop removal mining harms not only aquatic ecosystem, and water quality, it also destroys hundreds of acres of healthy forests and fish and wildlife habitat, including habitat of threatened and endangered species, when the tops of mountains are blasted away.

Throughout the Appalachian region of the Eastern United States, more than 500 mountains have been flattened, first by clear-cutting forests, then by blowing off the top layers of rock with powerful explosives. Giant cranes (draglines) expose buried coal by scraping billions of tons of dirt off the mountain. The debris is then dumped into neighboring valleys and streams. Rather than remove coal from the mountain, MTR removes the mountain from the coal.

Latest developments

Former Massey Energy executive found guilty of conspiracy

2015-12-03 00:00:00

Patriot fasing out of coal, but Alpha and Arch not

2014-05-06 00:00:00

What must happen

We urge all private banks involved in commercial lending and investment banking services for the mining sector to end their relationships with companies who practice mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.

Our recommended "best practice" is a clear exclusion policy on commercial lending and investment banking services for all coal companies who practice mountaintop removal coal extraction.

Where banks choose to maintain relationships with this sector, we recommend a publicly available policy, with a clearly identified performance threshold and regular reporting on policy implementation. Banks should withdraw from any on-going financing relationships with clients that practice MTR and place MTR on their financing exclusion lists.

Impacts

Social and human rights impacts

Coal companies use MTR mining methods because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while significantly reducing the number of workers required compared to conventional methods. The coal-bearing counties of Appalachia are some of the poorest in the nation, despite the fact that some of the greatest wealth is being extracted from them. For marginalized coalfield resident communities, MTR has meant the loss of thousands of jobs and growing health risks. Poverty has increased in MTR regions, even as corporate profits soar.

Once coal is extracted, it is then washed and treated, resulting in waste water called coal sludge, a mix of water, coal dust, clay and toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, lead, copper, selenium and chromium. Billions of gallons of this toxic soup is then stored in vast, unlined impoundments or injected for storage in abandoned underground-mines. Impoundments are often held in place by mining debris or earthen dams, making them unstable. Sludge dams have been known to fail. In October 2000, residents of Martin County, Kentucky suffered 306 million gallons of slurry entering their water supply. The disastrous spill was over 30 times the size of the Exxon Valdez spill.

After blasting has occurred, waste from mining operations is systematically dumped into nearby valleys, burying streams. This waste then releases toxic metals, killing life in streams and polluting ground water. Health problems such as cancer, liver and kidney disease and skin rashes have been found in correlation with people who drink water from wells contaminated by coal mining. The problem was exacerbated in 2002 when the Bush Administration changed rules in the Clean Water Act to allow waste material to be considered “fill,” effectively legalizing the dumping of toxic mining waste directly into Appalachian waterways.

Environmental and climate impacts

MTR is a mining practice where explosives are used to remove the tops of mountains and expose the thin seams of coal that lie beneath. Once blasted, the earth from the mountaintop is then typically dumped in the neighboring valleys. As a result, MTR mining poses significant threats to water quality in Appalachia, and undermines the objectives and requirements of the Clean Water Act. According to a 2005 environmental impact statement, nearly 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams have been buried or contaminated. 

Other impacts

The expansion of mountaintop removal mining is fuelled by the fact that the United States is in the midst of a coal rush. Currently, more than 150 new coal-fired power plants are in various stages of development around the country. The government is relaxing laws in order to allow even more coal mining that destroys communities and ecosystems. These new power plants will emit 600 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is tantamount to doubling the number of cars on roads! Coal is the single biggest obstacle to curbing global warming as well as destructive coal mining practices.

Governance

Other applicable regulations

Bank of America (Policy adopted December 2008)
Extraction from policy: “Bank of America is particularly concerned about surface mining conducted through mountain top removal in locations such as central Appalachia. We therefore will phase out financing of companies whose predominant method of extracting coal is through mountain top removal.”

Citi (Policy adopted August 2009)

Extraction from policy: “Citi has implemented a robust MTR Environmental Due Diligence Process that has been fully incorporated into our credit risk policies and procedures. The Diligence Process is triggered when engaging any client that uses MTR as an extraction method, and includes an MTR Risk Assessment Questionnaire that Citi will discuss with relevant clients as a part of our transactional due diligence. Under certain circumstances, Citi may require an Independent Review.

  • Prior to new transactions, Citi will conduct appropriate due diligence and evaluate companies that engage in MTR extraction in Central Appalachia, utilizing the following four principles.
  • Regulatory compliance - Citi will evaluate the company’s compliance history over time.
  • Exposure to future regulatory changes - Citi will evaluate the readiness of clients to meet changing regulatory requirements.
  • Litigation risk - Citi will evaluate the company’s exposure to litigation risk, including the status of existing lawsuits and historical judgments.
  • Franchise risk - Citi will evaluate the company’s profile and the extent to which the company is exposed to negative franchise risk. Citi commits to continuing dialogue with stakeholders and clients on this issue. Based on implementation experience, we will review and revise our MTR Environmental Due Diligence process over time and as regulations change.

Credit Suisse (Policy adopted September 2009)
Extraction from letter to RAN and the Sierra Club (4/28/10):
“Credit Suisse recognizes the vital importance of the mining sector, in all its diverse forms, for the global economy. However, given the potential impacts that mining operations may have, Credit Suisse seeks to promote responsible mining practices that protect the environment, ensure worker health and safety, and engage the public through
consultation and disclosure.”

JPMorgan Chase (Policy adopted May 2010)
Extraction from policy: JPMorgan “has undertaken an enhanced review of all proposed banking transactions for companies engaged in MTR. This enhanced review is in addition to the customary diligence employed for companies in the extractive industries and includes considerations of a company’s regulatory compliance history, as well as exposure to future regulatory changes and litigation risks, particularly as they relate to valley fills and water quality issues.”

Morgan Stanley (Policy adopted May 2010)
Extraction from policy: “We have implemented an enhanced environmental due diligence process on any transactions involving a client engaged in the practice of MTR as an extraction method. Our enhanced due diligence analyzes the company’s policy framework regarding mining techniques, operating practices, and track record of legal compliance, reclamation and litigation.... We will not finance companies for which a predominant portion of their annual coal production is from MTR activities as an extraction method. We will periodically disclose the process by which we are implementing these commitments including case studies of the types of effect the due diligence process has on transactions.”

Wells Fargo (Policy adopted July 2010)
Extraction from policy:"We recognize the significant concerns associated with this practice, as well as the heightened risks related to companies engaged in MTR mining. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge the significant investments made by our coal customers in their mine operations, which were entered into in good faith and in accordance with applicable regulations. As a result of our deliberate approach, and the broader movement of the industry toward other mining methods, our involvement with the practice of MTR is limited and declining."

Updates

Former Massey Energy executive found guilty of conspiracy

2015-12-03 00:00:00

According to The Atlantic: the former Massey Energy executive, Don Blankenship,  was found guilty of conspiracy, but acquitted of securities fraud and making false statements related to the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in 2010.

Patriot fasing out of coal, but Alpha and Arch not

2014-05-06 00:00:00

Of the three largest producers of MTR coal, Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal, and Patriot Coal, Patriot has already committed to phase out its MTR operations. But Arch and Alpha have maintained a pipeline of new MTR mining permits, even as the financial, regulatory, and reputational risks associated with MTR coal mining have become increasingly acute.

In 2013, top U.S. and European banks exited relationships with producers of MTR coal. As of April 2014, BNP Paribas, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo had terminated relationships with two of the largest mountaintop removal coal producers, Alpha Natural Resources (9.4 million tons of MTR coal produced in 2013) and Arch Coal (4.6 million tons in 2013). Unfortunately, as these banks exited MTR financing, Barclays scaled up its MTR financing, closing USD550 million in loan and bond transactions in 2013.

Federal court protects streams from surface mining

2014-02-06 00:00:00

Regulatory and legal risks associated with MTR production have grown in the past 12 months, with a February 2014 federal court decision striking down a Bush-era rule that had gutted protections for streams impacted by surface mining. As the first case study highlights, Alpha Natural Resources’s exposure to citizen lawsuits related to water pollution from its MTR mines more than doubled in 2013, as the company reached a record-setting USD227.5 million enforcement settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice over water contamination from its mines.

Bankruptcies

2013-05-06 00:00:00

The financial condition of many MTR-producing coal companies continued to deteriorate in 2013. Patriot Coal's 2012 bankruptcy was followed by bankruptcy filings at Essar Energy's Trinity Coal subsidiary in February 2013, and at James River Coal in April 2014. Ironically, the CEO of the #2 producer of MTR coal, Patriot Coal, has emerged as a voice against MTR, remarking that his company's agreement to exit MTR was ultimately good for business, as the second case study explains.

2013 was a painful year to lend to several MTR coal producers. Three European banks, Credit Agricole, ING Capital, and Natixis faced the especially daunting challenge of recovering USD104 million in outstanding loans from their client Trinity Coal in bankruptcy court. After being acquired by the Indian conglomerate Essar Group in 2010 for USD600 million, Trinity, which operates MTR mines in Kentucky and West Virginia, was hit hard by slumping coal markets and failed to make required payments to its suppliers and creditors, prompting over 50 lawsuits against the company.

According to the three banks, Trinity defaulted on over USD104 million in credit obligations to them in 2011. After the company reportedly failed to negotiate with the banks, they filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against it in February 2013. A year later, Trinity's parent company agreed to a USD150 million capital infusion for Trinity as part of a bankruptcy settlement, through which Trinity's unsecured creditors were expected to receive 0.15 to 0.25 on the dollar.

Trinity isn't alone among MTR producers facing acute financial distress. In February 2014, James River Coal, which reported net losses of USD138.9 million in 2012 and was expected to lose USD126.8 million in 2013 according to Bloomberg estimates, renegotiated its revolving credit line with GE Capital and UBS to give it time to explore "strategic alternatives" including a sale of all or part of the company. At the same time, James River forged ahead with a legal battle to secure a permit for a new mountaintop removal mine in Kentucky in the face of legal challenges over the mine's potential impacts on human health and the environment. James River later declared bankruptcy in April 2014.

In contrast to James River, the CEO of Patriot Coal, which agreed to phase out its MTR operations as part of a 2012 bankruptcy settlement, recently expressed a much dimmer view of the viability of new MTR operations. In December 2013, he said that his company's exit from MTR was good for business, helped Patriot avoid growing regulatory, permitting, and litigation risks associated with the practice, and that it is "increasingly unlikely that any producer is going to invest a lot of money in building out a large-scale surface mine in Central Appalachia." Nevertheless, James River appears determined to prove him wrong with their planned MTR mine.

Lawsuit Patriot Coal over selenium discharges

2012-10-30 00:00:00

Patriot Coal faced a wave of citizen lawsuits over selenium discharges from its MTR mines and saw its seleniumrelated cleanup cost estimates rise to approximately USD449 million just prior to its bankruptcy filing in 2012.

2010-01-31 10:04:06

On-going financing of destructive operations.

Financiers

By the summer of 2014  BNP Paribas, RBS, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have all publicly confirmed that they are moving away from bankrolling the destruction of America's mountains.

Related companies

Alpha Natural Resources United States show profile

Coal Mining

Arch Resources United States show profile

Coal Mining

Ashland Inc United States

CONSOL Energy Inc United States

International Coal Group (aquired by Arch Coal in 2011) United States

James River Coal Company United States

Massey Energy (aquired by Alpha Natural Resources in 2011) United States

TECO Energy Inc United States

News

| |
Type:
Year:
blog
external news
our news

Trump administration halts $1million study on health risks of Appalachian mountaintop removal coal mining

2017-08-23 | Mail Online
blog
external news
our news

HSBC dusts down its mining policy, but leaves room for more coal financing

2016-12-07 | Yann Louvel – BankTrack
blog
external news
our news

Deutsche Bank blacklists mountaintop removal companies

2016-05-23 | urgewald
blog
external news
our news

Deutsche Bank changes coal financing policy

Deutsche Bank continues lack of transparency on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining / Policy falls short of commitments needed to end this practice and address climate change
2016-03-11 | San Francisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

A Guilty Verdict in Don Blankenship's Trial

2015-12-03
blog
external news
our news

Five Reasons Why Morgan Stanley is RAN’s Next Target Bank on Coal Finance

2015-09-22 | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Arch Coal Lenders Said to Pick Front-Runner for Agent Role

2015-08-25 | Bloomberg
blog
external news
our news

Mountaintop Removal Blasting Above Coal River Communities

2015-08-17 | Coal River Mountain Watch
blog
external news
our news

Alpha Natural Resources is in a fight for its life

2015-07-24 | The Washington Post
blog
external news
our news

Public shaming makes the world a better place

2015-07-24 | Wired Magazine
blog
external news
our news

Even Deutsche Bank can show it’s committed to a low carbon ‘paradigm shift’ – by signing the Paris Pledge to quit coal

2015-07-21 | BankTrack blog
blog
external news
our news

US Interior Dept. Just Made Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining A Lot More Expensive

2015-07-17 | Clean Technica
blog
external news
our news

Big Coal is freaking out over this latest Obama move

2015-07-16 | Grist
blog
external news
our news

Blood on the Mountain: New Film Chronicles Coal's War on Appalachia

2015-05-26 | The Huffington Post
blog
external news
our news

Crédit Agricole announces end to global coal mining finance at AGM

Campaigners call on bank to sign Paris Pledge to quit coal completely
2015-05-20 | Paris | Les Amis de la Terre, BankTrack
blog
external news
our news

ING announces end to financing of major mountaintop removal coal miners

2015-05-11 | Amsterdam | BankTrack
blog
external news
our news

Barclays cuts ties with mountaintop removal coal, says MTR will be "phased out" soon

Barclays was the world's top lender to mountaintop removal coal firms prior to announcing new policy
2015-04-07 | Berkeley | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Barclays ends investment in 'toxic' coal mining practice under campaign pressure

2015-04-07 | RT
blog
external news
our news

Barclays ends financing of controversial mountaintop removal mining

2015-04-07 | The Guardian
blog
external news
our news

A New Tack in the War on Mining Mountains

2015-03-09 | The New York Times
blog
external news
our news

PNC Bank reduces financing for coal mining projects involving mountaintop removal

2015-03-03 | The Guardian
blog
external news
our news

PNC Bank policy on Mountaintop Removal a positive step

2015-03-02 | San Francisco | Claire Sandberg
blog
external news
our news

PNC Bank policy on Mountaintop Removal a positive step

2015-03-02 | San Francisco | Claire Sandberg
blog
external news
our news

Landmark Settlement Reached on Conductivity Pollution from Surface Coal Mines

2014-12-16 | Sierra Club
blog
external news
our news

Court upholds EPA veto in mountaintop removal mining case

2014-10-01 | The Hill
blog
external news
our news

Crédit Agricole challenged at AGM to stop finance for mountain destruction

2014-05-21 | Paris | Les Amis de la Terre
blog
external news
our news

Time for France’s Biggest Bank to Stop Funding Mountaintop Removal Coal

2014-05-21 | RAN, Banktrack
blog
external news
our news

Brown confronts UBS

2014-05-09 | Basel
blog
external news
our news

Shareholders Press Bank of America for Coal and Climate Finance

Rainforest Action Network, Investors and Community Leaders Take Stage at ‘Bank of Coal’ Meeting
2014-05-08 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

CMPD prepared for large protest expected at BoA meeting

2014-05-06 | WSOC TV
blog
external news
our news

5 Photos That Show Why Barclays Bank Must Stop Financing Mountain Destruction

2014-04-25 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

From Appalachia to London, Barclays Bank Takes Heat for Coal Financing

2014-04-24 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

I’m Visiting Barclays Bank and I Need You to Back Me Up

2014-04-23 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

Barclays AGM: Protestors to target Barclays for bankrolling coal

2014-04-23 | London | World Development Movement
blog
external news
our news

Barclays: The Biggest Banker of Mountaintop Removal Coal

2014-04-21 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

Report Finds Top Banks Moving Away From Coal: Citigroup and Barclays seen as laggards

Fifth annual coal finance report shows JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo end financing for mountaintop removal coal
2014-04-17 | San Francisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Extreme Coal – No Longer Business as Usual

2014-04-17 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

Breakthrough: JPMorgan Chase Dropping Mountain Destruction

2014-04-13 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

Chemical Valley

2014-04-07 | The New Yorker
blog
external news
our news

Investor Summit: Bank of America puts our Climate at Risk

2014-01-29 | RAN, Banktrack
blog
external news
our news

Court upholds EPA veto in mountaintop removal mining case

2014-01-10 | The Hill
blog
external news
our news

Regarding recent protests toward Bank of America on campus

2013-09-16 | Student Life
blog
external news
our news

Students protest Bank of America for funding coal mining

2013-09-16 | Student Life
blog
external news
our news

NGOs criticise poor performance new leadership Deutsche Bank

2013-05-22 | Berlin | urgewald & Facing Finance
blog
external news
our news

BNP Paribas AGM: stop funding coal!

2013-05-15 | Paris | Les Amis de la Terre
blog
external news
our news

Protest outside RBS AGM over Mountain Top Removal

2013-05-14
blog
external news
our news

Bank of America Meeting Dominated by Anti-Coal Activists

2013-05-09 | The Street
blog
external news
our news

UN human rights group calls for investigation of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia

2013-05-02 | The Institute for Southern Studies
blog
external news
our news

New Coal Finance Report Card Exposes Risk of Extreme Energy Investments

Banks pump $20 billion into coal despite U.S. coal industry decline and escalating climate impacts
2013-04-29 | San Francisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Extreme Investments: 2013 Coal Finance Report Card

2013-04-29 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

Arch Coal, the Blair Mountain Battlefield, and Bank Human Rights Commitments

COAL RISK UPDATE
2013-03-06 | United States | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Selenium Risk at Alpha Natural Resources' Mountaintop Removal Mines

Insight from the Patriot Coal Bankruptcy and Regulatory Monitoring Data
2013-02-05 | San Francisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Appalachia Turns on Itself

2012-07-08 | The New York Times
blog
external news
our news

Massey’s Parent Company Accepts Financial Responsibility For Upper Big Branch Disaster

2011-12-07 | RAN Understory blog
blog
external news
our news

Study notes spike in birth defects near mountaintop mining

2011-06-23 | Kuntucky.com
blog
external news
our news

Mountaintop Removal Mining Raises Birth Defects

2011-06-22 | United States | Amanda Starbuck, RAN
blog
external news
our news

Environment vs. jobs in new Battle of Blair Mountain

2011-06-14 | United States | CNN
blog
external news
our news

Blair Mountain emergency: Obama is obliged by deathtoll to order mountaintop removal moratorium

2011-06-08 | United States | Huffington Post
blog
external news
our news

RAN Translates Banker-Speak

2011-06-07 | RAN blog
blog
external news
our news

RAN translates banker-speak

2011-06-07 | United States | Amanda Starbuck, RAN
blog
external news
our news

West Virginia protest march will link campaign to stop mountaintop removal coal mining and labor solidarity

2011-05-25 | United States | BTonline
blog
external news
our news

Shareholders Ask PNC Bank To Live The Green Dream

2011-04-26 | RAN blog
blog
external news
our news

New report card exposes largest financers of mountaintop removal coal mining

2011-04-05 | San Fransisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

GOP hopefuls OK with mountaintop removal mining

2011-04-04 | Business Week
blog
external news
our news

New UBS policy fizzles

Blogpost at the Understory page of RAN
2011-02-07 | United States | Brant Olson, RAN
blog
external news
our news

Special report: Jamie Dimon wants some R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2011-02-04 | Reuters
blog
external news
our news

Another big bank turns away from mountaintop removal!

2010-11-02 | San Fransisco, US | Amanda Starbuck, RAN
blog
external news
our news

A tale of two Swiss banks

2010-10-20 | San Fransisco, US | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Banks grow wary of environmental risks

2010-08-31 | NY Times
blog
external news
our news

Banks toughen lending rules to coal, PNC & UBS still bucking the trend

Two banks take heat for continuing to fund Massey Energy and mountaintop removal mining
2010-08-27 | United States
blog
external news
our news

Big Banks Ditch Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

2010-08-16 | Justmeans
blog
external news
our news

PNC and UBS: financing the destruction of America’s mountains

2010-06-27 | San Fransisco, US | Annie Sartor, RAN
blog
external news
our news

Like blowing up the Alps: Is Swiss Bank UBS the last financier of Massey's big coal Mayhem?

2010-06-07 | US | The Huffington Post
blog
external news
our news

Rainforest Action Network welcomes JPMorgan’s first public statement on controversial mountaintop removal coal mining

2010-05-17 | San Fransisco | RAN
blog
external news
our news

New report card, largest financers of Mountaintop Removal coal mining

PNC, JPMorgan Chase and UBS receive failing grades
2010-05-13 | San Francisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

New regulations will put an end to mountaintop mining

2010-04-02 | US | The Guardian
blog
external news
our news

Help us to stop JPMorganChase from funding mountaintop removal coal mining

Chase is bankrolling the destruction of American mountains for coal. End mountaintop removal and put Chase on the run
2010-02-18 | International | RAN
blog
external news
our news

New Scientific Study Says Mountaintop Removal Has Long Term Health and Environmental Effects and Should Be Banned

2010-01-07 | The Guardian/UK
blog
external news
our news

EPA approves West Virginia MTR permit: major step backwards for Agency

2010-01-06 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

Bank of America stops funding Mountain Top Removal

Victory for Appalachia and anti-coal movement
2008-12-04 | San Fransisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Protests at shareholders meetings of Citi, Bank of America and RBS

US and UK banks find BankTrack campaigners protest against financing climate change
2008-04-23 | New York, Edinburgh, Charlotte | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Campaigners confront Citi over coal financing at annual shareholder meeting

2008-04-22 | New York | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Thousands on Streets to Protest Citi and Bank of America’s Coal Investments

climate activists tell banks to stop funding coal plants and extraction
2007-11-16 | San Francisco | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Coalfield Residents, Activists and Students Close Down D.C. Citi Branch

Citi to stop funding coal and climate change
2007-11-06 | Washington DC | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Activists Drape 50-Foot Banner Across From Bank of America Headquarters

Call on Bank to Stop Funding Dirty Coal
2007-10-23 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Rainforest Action Network
blog
external news
our news

Protests against years of destructive investments at Wells Fargo AGM

2006-04-25 | San Francisco, USA | Rainforest Action Network

Documents

Type:
Year:
ngo documents
2015-10-05 00:00:00

Financing Climate Chaos

How Minnesota’s Banking Giants Prioritize Profit in the Face of Climate Change
2015-10-05 00:00:00 | MN 350
our publications
2015-05-04 00:00:00

The end of coal?

2015 Coal Finance Report Card
2015-05-04 00:00:00 | BankTrack, Rainforest Action Network and Sierra Club
other documents
2014-05-07 00:00:00

Questions by Paul Corbit Brown at the AGM of UBS

About the effects of mountaintop removal in Southern West Virginia.
2014-05-07 00:00:00
our publications
2014-04-17 00:00:00

Coal Finance Report Card 2014

Extreme Investments; Extreme Consequences
2014-04-17 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, BankTrack
our publications
2013-04-29 00:00:00

Coal Finance Report Card 2013

Extreme investments - US Banks and the Coal Industry
2013-04-29 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, BankTrack
our publications
2013-03-07 00:00:00

Coal Risk Update March 2013

Arch Coal, Blair Mountain, and Bank Human Rights Commitments
2013-03-07 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack
our publications
2013-02-05 00:00:00

Coal Risk Update February 2013

Selenium Risk at Alpha Natural Resources’s Mountaintop Removal Mines
2013-02-05 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack
our publications
2012-05-01 00:00:00

Coal Finance Report Card 2012

Dirty Money, U.S. Banks at theBottom of the Class
2012-05-01 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, BankTrack
ngo documents
2011-11-15 00:00:00

Bank of America: Risking Public Health and the Climate

2011-11-15 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network
annual reports
2011-07-12 00:00:00

Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2010: Bank of America

2011-07-12 00:00:00 | Bank of America
our publications
2011-04-05 00:00:00

Policy and Practice

2011 report card on banks and mountaintop removal
2011-04-05 00:00:00 | BankTrack, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club
annual reports
2011-03-02 00:00:00

Global Citizenship Report 2010: Citi

2011-03-02 00:00:00 | Citi
annual reports
2011-02-02 00:00:00

2010 Sustainability Report: Morgan Stanley

2011-02-02 00:00:00 | Morgan Stanley
annual reports
2010-10-25 00:00:00

CSR report 2010

2010-10-25 00:00:00 | PNC Bank
ngo documents
2010-06-02 00:00:00

Bankers on Tenterhooks

Climate change: co-funded by banks operating in Belgium
2010-06-02 00:00:00 | Netwerk Vlaanderen
our publications
2010-05-13 00:00:00

Policy and Practice: report card on banks and mountaintop removal

2010-05-13 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-30 00:00:00

Letter from Wells Fargo to RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack on Mountaintop Removal

2010-04-30 00:00:00 | Wells Fargo
correspondence
2010-04-29 00:00:00

Response UBS to NGO letter of 100414 concerning MTR

2010-04-29 00:00:00 | UBS
correspondence
2010-04-15 00:00:00

Mountaintop Removal request for information letter sent to Morgan Stanley

2010-04-15 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-15 00:00:00

Mountaintop Removal request for information letter sent to UBS

2010-04-15 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-15 00:00:00

Mountaintop Removal request for information letter sent to Bank of America

2010-04-15 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-15 00:00:00

Mountaintop Removal request for information letter sent to GE Capital

2010-04-15 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-14 00:00:00

Mountaintop Removal request for information letter sent to JPMorgan Chase

2010-04-14 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-14 00:00:00

Mountaintop Removal request for information letter sent to PNC

2010-04-14 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-14 00:00:00

Mountaintop Removal request for information letter sent to Wells Fargo

2010-04-14 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
correspondence
2010-04-14 00:00:00

Letter from RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack to Citigroup on Mountaintop Removal

2010-04-14 00:00:00 | RAN, Sierra Club, BankTrack
ngo documents
2007-11-11 00:00:00

Banks, Climate Change and the New Coal Rush

2007-11-11 00:00:00 | RAN
ngo documents
2007-10-24 00:00:00

The biggest cause of climate change: Coal-fired power plants

2007-10-24 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network (RAN)
csr policies
0000-00-00 00:00:00

Citi CSR Policy in regards to Mountain Top Removal

0000-00-00 00:00:00 | Citi

Media

RBS Mountain Destruction Protest at RBS Bank headquarters AGM, Edinburgh

Marsh Fork Protest


























Links

I love mountains

http://www.ilovemountains.org/

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

http://ohvec.org/

Stopping the Coal Rush

http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/coal/

Rainforest Network

Global Finance Campaign
http://ran.org/campaigns/global_finance/about_the_campaign/

Appalachia Rising: More than 100 Arrested at White House Demanding End to Mountaintop Removal

A protest against mountain top removal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rainforestactionnetwork/5031237880/in/set-72157624922441129/

Facebook: Hands off Appalachia

https://www.facebook.com/HandsOffAppalachia

Radio Munda Real interview of Paul Corbit Brown, from the Keepers of the Mountain Foundation

Friends of the Earth France are together with Action Aid France and CRID for the seventh year in 2014 organizing the “Sustainable Development Pinocchio Awards” and has nominated the company “Crédit Agricole” as one of the three companies in the category ”One for all, all for me!” – a category that is awarded to the company that has the most aggressive policy in terms of land grabbing, exploitation or destruction of natural resources. Crédit Agricole has been nominated for its financing of the destruction of the Appalachians Mountains.
http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/7995-the-right-to-profit-at-the-expense?lang=es

Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery of Paul Corbit Brown, campaigner for the US NGO « Keeper of the Mountain »
http://www.paulcorbitbrown.com/#!/index/G0000qtGxUiJpRH4

CoalSwarm

http://coalswarm.typepad.com/coalswarm/

National Resources Defenses Council - No more Mountain Removal

http://www.nrdc.org/energy/coal/mtr/

Deutsche Bank: Stop Moutaintop Removal!

urgewald page flow on Mountaintop removal in the US and Deutsche Bank and RWE.
http://urgewald.pageflow.io/mtr-coal#41028

Brief history

Mountaintop removal is a relatively new type of coal mining that began in Appalachia in the 1970s as an extension of conventional strip mining techniques. Primarily, mountaintop removal is occurring in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Coal companies in Appalachia are increasingly using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require.

Browse
Home
Banks
Dodgy Deals
Map
Campaigns
About
About BankTrack
Donate
Contact BankTrack
Publications
Victories
Follow Us
News
BankTrack blog
Facebook page
Twitter channel
Vismarkt 15
6511 VJ Nijmegen
The Netherlands

Tel: +31 24 324 9220
Contact@banktrack.org
©2016 BankTrack                Webdesign by BankTrack and EASYmind
BankTrack is a registered charity in the Netherlands (ANBI) - RSIN 813874658
Find our privacy policy here

Stay up to date

Sign up now for all BankTrack's news


Make a comment

Your comment will be reviewed, before being posted