THE CITIZENS COAL COUNCIL NEEDS YOUR HELP!
We have just learned that the White House plans to nominate
Robert Uram to head the US Office of Surface Mining (OSM), the
environmental enforcement agency that regulates coal mining.
Grass-roots groups fighting for environmental justice in the coal
fields support Bruce Boyens and oppose Mr. Uram for the job.
Public outcry can stop these plans - the Citizens Coal Council
(CCC) has stopped three other bad candidates for this job. With
your help, we can do it again.
Please join our "FAX ATTACK" on The White House and Bruce Bab-
bitt, Secretary of the Interior Department. We ask you to send
immediately a short fax or letter opposing Robert Uram and
supporting Bruce Boyens to these two targets:
1st priority: Bruce Lindsay, Director of Presidential Personnel,
The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500,
fax #202-456-2259.
2nd priority: Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, 1849 C Street NW,
Washington, DC 20240, fax #202-208-6956.
BACKGROUND ON COAL MINING:
* For 12 years OSM has been plagued with scandal, director
turnover, incompetent and corrupt directors, industry-driven
regulation, and special deals for favored coal companies. The
environmental damage is huge: over two million acres of unre-
claimed strip mine lands, 10,000 miles of streams polluted with
acid drainage, and heavy losses of fish and wildlife habitat.
Thousands of coal field residents have suffered from uncontrolled
coal mining. Blasting and subsidence damage their homes; coal
mining wipes out their wells and water supplies, ruins their
farms, disturbs their livestock, and destroys their livelihoods.
Many families live with daily fear for their safety. Since 1972,
mining has killed over 130 citizens outside the mines.
There "oughtta be a law" to control coal operators, and there is.
But the federal coal mining law has not been enforced since 1980.
The Citizens Coal Council is a federation of grass-roots groups
and coal field residents in 20 states and the Navajo Nation. It
organized to restore law and order to the coal fields and protect
water by enforcing the federal coal mining law.
BACKGROUND ON ROBERT URAM:
Mr. Uram is an lawyer in private practice in San Francisco.
Until early 1984, he worked as a lawyer for the Interior Depart-
ment on coal mining, federal coal leasing and landuse planning.
* For the past 10 years, Mr. Uram has helped his coal company
clients evade their legal responsibilities. With this tarnished
record, Mr. Uram could not win the trust of the public and em-
ployees that he would now "switch hats" to enforce the law as the
nation's chief "coal cop" at this demoralized agency.
*Revolving Door. Mr. Uram's resume states he left the Office of
Field Solicitor in 1983 and began work almost immediately at a
Santa Fe law firm. In April 1984, he wrote the Department,
asking for permission to represent Gifford-Hill Company, which
later became Amcord. According to OSM employees, Mr. Uram's
claim that he only had "some peripheral and insubstantial partic-
ipation related with this mine" is inaccurate. He was the only
lawyer in that OSM office and was substantially involved.
*Unreclaimed Mines. Since early 1984, Mr. Uram represented a New
Mexico coal company (Amcord) against OSM. In 1984, he negotiated
a patently illegal clean-up and reclamation plan but the mine has
yet to meet even those substandard conditions. The site has acid
drainage and inadequate reclamation. His resume brags about his
role, "Planned and executed a strategy to obtain from the State
of New Mexico a release from further coal reclamation responsi-
bility for a mine near Gallup, New Mexico. This was the first
such release...in New Mexico."
* "Pattern of Violations." His resume also brags that he "Con-
ducted administrative litigation and negotiation to prevent the
state of New Mexico from closing a coal mine which had a 'pattern
of violations'. The matter was resolved without any adverse
effect on production or any fine or penalty." He told the press
he couldn't remember details, like the company name.
"Patently Illegal." In June and September of 1984, Mr. Uram won
agreements from OSM. Mr. Uram has repeatedly assured CCC that he
did not deal with OSM, and that the mine was under New Mexico's
sole jurisdiction. These assertions are not true. According to
OSM employees involved with the case, the settlement agreements
are "patently illegal" because they call for mine reclamation at
levels far below those prescribed by federal law. Mr. Uram was
continuously involved with the Amcord case up until the time his
candidacy to become OSM director appeared in the media.
Solicitation of National Coal Association (NCA). CCC has reli-
able information that Uram solicited NCA as a client, attempting
to win them away from their present firm for at least one case,
SOCM v. Lujan, and perhaps for their entire legal portfolio.
SOCM v. Lujan is one of the most notorious cases in coal law
during the final two years of Reagan-Bush, where a prominent
Tennessee citizens group, "Save Our Cumberland Mountains" sued to
force OSM/DOI to enforce the law. NCA represented the coal
industry, as it does in nearly all matters regarding OSM.
Polluter Representative. On other environmental issues, Uram's
law practice has been almost all on the industry side on the 1872
Mining Law, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, wetlands
development, National Historic Preservation Act, National Forest
Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act and the Nation-
al Forest Management Act.
Where's the Toxic Waste Site? He helped promote the siting of a
toxic waste facility on Native American lands in California. He
refuses to disclose the name of the specific site.
Opposition by Native Americans. Mr. Uram's record for helping a
coal mine on Indian land escape their responsibilities and the
proposed siting of the hazardous waste facility on Indian lands
led to petitions opposing his appointment from a gathering of
Navajo and Hopi leaders and from over 80 Navajo mine workers.
Minimal Management Experience. Mr. Uram has insufficient
management experience to head an agency with 1,100 employees, a
budget over $100,000,000 and 18 far-flung offices. Primarily, he
has supervised a staff of lawyers and their case loads.
BACKGROUND ON BRUCE BOYENS
Bruce Boyens is now a lawyer with a private practice representing
labor and environmental groups. From 1982-88, he was the western
Regional Director for the United Mine Workers in Denver. From
1978-82, he was the head of OSM's Inspection and Enforcement
Division in Knoxville that oversaw coal operations in Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. He has also worked as an under-
ground coal miner.
* Mr. Boyens' record at OSM showed even-handed, unblemished, and
fearless dedication to enforcement of the law. He was one of the
best enforcers to have ever worked at OSM. Before Mr. Boyens
came to OSM, lawlessness reigned in the Southern Appalachian coal
fields. Both state inspectors and citizens had been assaulted
and many mines had failed to obtain mine permits and do any
reclamation. Mr. Boyens set up a task force of U.S. Marshalls
and stopped these practices. He successfully protected his
employees, and was fair and consistent to the coal industry. He
did not play favorites; both citizens and industry knew he would
work evenhandedly with them.
* Boyens is endorsed by CCC, its member groups in twenty states,
the United Mine Workers Union, the Sierra Club, Governor Brereton
Jones (D-KY), Senator Carol Mosley-Braun (D-IL), Oklahoma Wild-
life Federation, coalition of Navajo and Hopi elders, the WV
Charleston Gazette, the Western Organization of Resource Councils
and gains more supporters every day. As the Charleston Gazette
wrote in its October 9 editorial, "you would think the choice
would be obvious."
PLEASE HELP US WIN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN THE COAL FIELDS.
JOIN THE FAX ATTACK TODAY!
Thank you,
Citizens Coal Council
110 Maryland Ave NE, Room 307, Washington D.C. 20002
(202) 543-1394, Fax (202) 543-0978
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michele Lord + If you have come here to help me,
+ you are wasting your time.....
+ But if you have come because
+ your liberation is bound up with mine,
milo@scicom.alphacdc.com + then let us work together.
Aboriginal Woman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~