As part of the "Appalachia Rising: Voices from the Mountains" conference held in September 2010, protesters participated in a day of action in the nation's capital to increase awareness of mountaintop removal mining (MTR) and its impact on Appalachian communities. Described as both a mobilizing effort and an opportunity for civil disobedience, the protest resulted in over one hundred arrests during a sit-in on Freedom Plaza. While mountaintop removal is often considered an Appalachian problem, this protest and its depiction of the federal Army Corps of Engineers points to the complexity of environmental issues that transcend regional boundaries.
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| Rena Xavier, Day of action, Freedom Plaza, Washington, D.C., September 27, 2010. |