WASHINGTON D.C. - Sen. John Kerry issued the following statement today, following reports that the Bush Administration intends to expand rules that allow mountaintop mining.

"I am dismayed that the Bush Administration is taking steps to ensure
more mountaintops are destroyed, more rivers and streams are polluted, and the health and way of life of Appalachian communities are even more threatened," Kerry said. "This awful practice along the banks of our nation's rivers and streams does irreparable damage to our environment and is not sustainable. By expanding the scope of mountaintop removal, the Bush Administration is obliterating hundreds of miles of streams and rivers, as well as countless Appalachian communities."

In the past, federal regulations have banned mining within 100 feet of
streams. The Administration plan would enshrine the practice, which
involves using explosions to blast off the top of a mountain. The rubble
ends up choking valleys and streams below.