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Mountaintop removal coal mining burns me up inside worst than any current environmental issue. I just can't fathom that something so obviously self destructive could go on so close to home and for those in Appalachia, in their own backyard. I have written a number of times about the devastating nature of mountaintop removal coal mining, and most recently, the socially conscious musicians who are doing everything in their power to stop it.
Heartwood recently teamed up with singer-songwriter Jason Wilber to produce Coal Country Music, a collection of songs from a region shattered by mountaintop removal and the cycle of coal mining and combustion. And now Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, Kathy Mattea, Big Kenny, and many others will perform at the upcoming Music Saves Mountains Concert to benefit the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) campaign to bring an end to the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining.
Five Hundred Peaks Blown Up To Date
According to the NRDC, entire mountaintops are blown up to get at the thin seams of coal below. Already 500 peaks have been leveled, forests have been clear cut, and mountain streams polluted beyond repair. Countless communities in Appalachia have been devastated by the practice. According to Mountain Justice, mountaintop removal coal mining has already transformed some of the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world into biologically barren moonscapes.
"The mountains of Appalachia are responsible for countless folk, country and bluegrass songs. Now, the home of that rich tradition is being destroyed," Emmylou Harris told The Tennessean last year.
The concert will be held May 19 at 8:00 p.m. at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Buy tickets here.
Watch Big Kenny's newest video, inspired by the mountains of Appalachia
More on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining:
You Can Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining
This Land is Coal's Land: Mountaintop Removal Displaces, Destroys and Scars (Slideshow)
