The Obama administration has pledged to use the "best science" available to make decisions about whether and how mountaintop removal and valley fills should continue. Now that best science is saying, mountaintop removal and valley fills should be stopped.

In a study being published in the journal Science, 12 of the nation's leading environmental scientists describe mountaintop removal as "pervasive and irreversible" while noting that mining permits continue to be issued even though there is overwhelming scientific documentation of the extensive damage done.

According to the study as reported in Ken Ward's Coal Tattoo blog, "... Clearly, current attempts to regulate MTM/VF practices are inadequate … Regulators should no longer ignore rigorous science."

"The scientific evidence of the severe environmental and human impacts from mountaintop removal is strong and irrefutable. Its impacts are pervasive and long lasting and there is no evidence that any mitigation practices successfully reverse the damage it causes."

according to lead author Margaret Palmer of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.  Read much more about this on the Coal Tattoo.

You can also read McClatchy News Service story on this new study.

And here is an NPR story from All Things Considered and an hour long show about MTR from the Diane Rehm show. It includes allies from WV.

And this from David Roberts' blog in Grist:

"To me, the most amazing part of all this—and clearly the scientists are amazed as well—is the fact that there’s never been a comprehensive assessment of MTR impacts before. We’re blowing up mountains and we have no idea what the consequences are! The mind boggles. It’s like the whole country is just discovering Appalachia."