Ashley Judd criticizes federal government for supporting mountaintop removal mining

Actress Ashley Judd said the federal government is supporting “the rape of Appalachia" because it allows mountaintop removal mining.

Judd, in a speech at the National Press Club Wednesday, criticized the controversial practice.

Mountaintop removal mining (MTR) is a form of surface mining that involves the use of explosives on the summit or summit ridge of a mountain to expose underlying coal seams.

It’s a common form of mining in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky and West Virginia.

Judd, a Kentucky native, called it “strip mining on steroids” and choked up as she talked about its environmental damage in her home state.

She called for an end to the practice and singled out other politicians for criticism and praise.

She was critical of Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), saying “his policy stance about coal mining is destructive to the people of Appalachia.”

But she praised Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Ky.) for opposing MTR mining and Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who has become more critical of the mining process.

“If he can do it, anyone can do it,” she said of Byrd’s change in stance on the coal industry, one of the biggest employers in West Virginia.

Judd has worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups to help end the practice.

The EPA in April announced it was strengthening the environmental review and permitting process for mountaintop removal in Appalachia.

-- This post was updated at 5:34 p.m.