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Stop the Shepherd Bend Coal Mine from Polluting Birmingham's Water!
  1. Signatures
    8,662 out of 10,000
    Petitioning
    1. President pro tempore of the UA Board of Trustees (+ 7 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • President pro tempore of the UA Board of Trustees (Paul W. Bryant, Jr.)
      • Engineering Team (Change.org)
      • Vice Chancellor for Systems Relations (Kellee Reinhart)
      • President of UA (Dr. Robert E. Witt)
      • Chancellor of the University of Alabama System (Dr. Malcolm Portera)
      • Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Executive Assistant to the Chancellor (Michael A. Bownes)
      • General Counsel for the University of Alabama System (Ralph H. Smith II,)
      • Member of the Board of Trustees (Finis E. St. John IV)
  2. Created By
    Joseph Olson
    Birmingham, AL
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

A proposed coal mine is poised to ruin the health, environment, and drinking water in Birmingham, Alabama. The Shepherd Bend Mine would discharge pollutants into the Black Warrior River, just 800 feet from a major drinking water intake for 200,000 people (see photo). Residents are worried that this mine will ruin the water supply, create dangerous chemical runoff, spew pollutants into the air, and decrease property values.

Not only are residents' health and livelihoods at risk, they may be forced to carry the mine's financial burden: The Birmingham Water Works Board warns that this mine could necessitate added filtration, a cost that would be passed on to residents.

As an Alabama resident and student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), I know that this mine will negatively impact Birmingham's water, its residents, and the environment. That's why I'm asking the University of Alabama Board of Trustees not to sell or lease university-owned land to the Sheperd Bend mining company. 

Sheperd Bend's wastewater discharge permit is in violation of federal and state law, allowing 10 times the level of iron and 40 times the level of manganese recommended by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Black Warrior River watershed is a major resource in Alabama, providing homes to more than one million residents and supplying drinking water for Jasper, Cullman, Oneonta, Tuscaloosa, and half of Birmingham.

The Black Warrior River is already on the list of America's Most Endangered Rivers. The 1,773 acre mining site would discharge approximately 3,187 tons of sediment into downstream wetlands, exposing the area to dangerous levels of pollution.

The majority of the proposed mining site and its mineral rights are owned by the University of Alabama school system. If the UA Board of Trustees decided against leasing or selling the land for the mine, the project would no longer be economically feasible for the Shepherd Bend mining company, and the company would likely abandon the plan.

Several notable people have voiced their opposition to this mine, including Alabama college students, alumni, local conservation organizations, and the Birmingham City Council. University of Alabama alum Dr. Willy Rice went so far as to pledge to leave his seven-figure estate to the University of Alabama if they demonstrate good stewardship and protect Alabama’s gem river. However, despite so much opposition, the administration only remains silent.

Please join me in urging the University of Alabama president, Dr. Witt, and the Board of Trustees to take a stand. Sign this petition, and urge officials to make a public statement that they will neither sell nor lease university land for the Shepherd Bend Mine.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Agree NOT to lease their land or minerals for the Shepherd Bend Mine

Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: University of Alabama System and its Board of Trustees.

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Agree NOT to lease their land or minerals for the Shepherd Bend Mine

Dear President Witt,

As a prominent leader not only in the community but in the state, the University of Alabama and the UA Board of Trustees has the opportunity to demonstrate good stewardship and take a stand against the Shepherd Bend Mine. Because it will discharge 10 times the amount of iron and 40 times the amount of manganese as suggested by the Safe Drinking Water Act, the mine will pollute drinking water for 200,000 Birmingham residents. The Birmingham Water Works Board warns that this mine could necessitate added filtration, a cost passed on to rate payers throughout the Birmingham area.

Students from UA and UAB as well as students from schools outside the UA system have been pleading for the board to simply say they will not lease the land for this devastating project. They have stood in solidarity with residents of Cordova who will face serious health risks, residents of Birmingham who want safe drinking water, the Birmingham City Council, the Birmingham-Metro NAACP Chapter, and the many environmental and student organizations who have expressed their opposition to the mine.

Please show the state and the nation that Alabama is not only a proud leader in exceptional football, but a proud leader and role model for citizen rights, public health, and environmental stewardship.

Stand with us and promise the community that you will protect its people by neither leasing nor selling the land for the Shepherd Bend Mine.

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Sincerely,

[Your name]

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