Leveling Mountain: Research and Mountaintop Removal Strip Mining

The document details how the U.S. Department of the Interior, under the direction of Deputy Secretary J. Stephen Griles, shifted the focus of a court-mandated environmental impact statement (EIS) from minimizing environmental damage to streamlining coal-mining permits. Despite federal agency data showing that mountaintop removal mining caused the loss of over 1,200 miles of streams and 7% of Appalachian forests between 1985 and 2001, the administration allegedly stripped 'significant' or 'severe' language from reports and omitted substantive alternatives to mitigate damage. The report highlights a conflict of interest, noting Griles' former role as a mining lobbyist and his frequent meetings with industry representatives during the EIS's redirection.

• The Bush administration shifted the objective of the mountaintop removal EIS from minimizing environmental harm to focusing on "centralizing and streamlining coal-mining permitting," effectively removing consideration of environmentally benign alternatives.
• Scientific data from federal agencies indicates that between 1985 and 2001, mountaintop removal mining resulted in the pollution or burial of more than 1,200 miles of streams and the removal of over 7 percent of Appalachian forests.
• Administration officials allegedly manipulated the EIS by removing technical language that described environmental impacts as "significant" or "severe" and by initially removing an independent economic analysis showing that limiting valley fill size would not negatively impact electric costs.
• Internal memos from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the EPA expressed concern that the draft EIS ignored scientific findings and substituted "permit process tinkering for meaningful and measurable change."
• J. Stephen Griles, who previously lobbied for the National Mining Association, met with coal industry representatives and administration officials at least 12 times between September and December 2001, coinciding with the order to change the EIS's direction.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2004). Leveling Mountain: Research and Mountaintop Removal Strip Mining. https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/leveling-mountain-research-mountaintop-removal-strip-mining

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Leveling Mountain: Research and Mountaintop Removal Strip Mining. 2004. https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/leveling-mountain-research-mountaintop-removal-strip-mining.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Leveling Mountain: Research and Mountaintop Removal Strip Mining |date=11 April 2004 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/leveling-mountain-research-mountaintop-removal-strip-mining |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2004leveling, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Leveling Mountain: Research and Mountaintop Removal Strip Mining}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2004}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/leveling-mountain-research-mountaintop-removal-strip-mining}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }