The Charleston Gazette - Lawsuits target health impacts of mountaintop removal mining

Two new lawsuits filed in West Virginia and Kentucky allege the Obama administration is ignoring a growing body of science that links living near mountaintop removal operations to greater risk of serious health impacts, including cancer and birth defects. West Virginia University researcher Michael Hendryx and others have co-authored more than 20 studies that have found generally higher rates of health problems, and specifically rates of cancer and birth defects, among residents living near mountaintop removal operations in Appalachia.