In the recent wake of last week's initiative to push more scrutiny on Mountaintop Removal Mountain, Obama left out a key piece: Saying No More. Throughout the first 140 days in office, Obama has shown a great amount of indecisiveness when putting an end to mountaintop removal by relegating decisions to the EPA. Maybe I am dreaming of the day when people can go to jail for 3 years and pay $5 million fines for destroying the tops of mountains, but until that day comes this is the time when we as a group of citizens need to stand up and tell our Head of State: No More.

Obama, however has done much more than Bush has ever done by requiring the review of permits. However, I do not know if he has a desire to end MTR practices. From what the Washington Post article:
Mountaintop Mining to Get More Scrutiny (written Thursday June 11), the Obama Administration is not ending MTR, but wasnt to have the EPA end some of its worst effects like the destruction of trees and buried streams. But isnt this a typical feature of MTR? Wouldnt it be easier to "Just Say NO"!

When reviewing Obama's stance on Mountaintop Removal, we can look back to March: “This is one of those things where I want science to help lead us. I will tell you that there’s some pretty country up there that’s been torn up pretty good. I will also tell you that the environmental consequences of the runoff from some of these mountains can just be horrendous. … Not taking that into account because of short-term economic concerns, I think, is a mistake. I think we have to balance economic growth with good stewardship of the land God gave us.”

– President Barack Obama on mountaintop removal, March 23, 2009.

From this quote, Obama is very hesitant to say no more removing mountains, even though that is definetely a priority that should be in the best interest in the country.

Now, my friends is the time when we need to take an all out stance to say NO to Mountaintop Mining. Starting next week will be the planning stages of a youth lobby day later on in the summer, where those who have been impacted (in a very liberal sense of the word impacted)can help lobby to end MTR once and for all. We need to let Obama know how we feel. We are not a bunch of dirty lobbyist who are only in it for money. We are the people who have will to fight whatever it takes see this filthy practice end.