Please stop mountaintop removal

(What I recently emailed to our governor regarding mountain top removal)

Dear Governor Beshear,

As a relatively new citizen of Kentucky, I have been continually touched by the pride of heritage that is the common thread among the people of this great Commonwealth. In the five years I have lived and traveled in Kentucky, I've come to realize the great importance the strong and deep heritage our mountains have on the people of Kentucky. It is because of the humble, scrappy beginnings of this state that greatness has been born, and that greatness is due, in large part, to the history of the mountains.

I had the opportunity to travel to Pine Mountain this past summer, and as I stood at a mountain look-out, surveying the landscape and imagining what the ancestors of this state might have seen as they came through the mountain passes, I was struck by the breath-taking grandeur -- sobered only by the fact that much of this mountain landscape could forever be scarred by the act of mountain top removal. I am confounded by the notion that such a resource -- one that was standing when Kentucky was tamed into statehood -- would be sacrificed for the benefit of a handful of coal companies.

I wish I could be there tomorrow to stand among those that come to show solidarity for the mountains and their heritage, but I can not . However, I will be there in spirit, cheering them on, and praying for an end to MTR so future generations can stand in awe of the majesty that is our Ole Kentucky Home!

Sincerely,

Megan J. Murray

Kentucky Educator and Proud Citizen