“This illegal mining threatens to permanently alter one of the Southeast’s premier whitewater rivers, with catastrophic consequences for local communities, wildlife and future generations.”

“This illegal mining threatens to permanently alter one of the Southeast’s premier whitewater rivers, with catastrophic consequences for local communities, wildlife and future generations.”
“The global mining industry is rapidly expanding, with tragic ecological and humanitarian consequences.”
A McDowell County neighbor’s concerns about the impact of mining operations and questions from Carolina Public Press drew the attention of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
Despite vocal opposition from environmental groups, the public and politicians, the Environmental Protection Agency repealed a stream-buffer-zone rule that — since 1983 — had prohibited surface coal-mining activities within 100 feet of flowing streams.
A strongly contested quarry permit for rural Jackson County has been nixed by the state.