The petitions, by Left-wing group CREDO Action and Earthjustice, cite the “national health crisis” from “cancer-linked” strip mining in central Appalachia as “millions of pounds’ of diesel fuel and explosives are detonated daily to “rip the top off” mountains and across seams of coal contained within.

“Dozens of peer reviewed studies have documented the devastation mountaintop removal mining is wreaking on communities in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee in the form of elevated rates of birth defects and cancer rates nearly triple the national average,” the petition says.

“Stunning new research also shows a direct connection between the dust from mountain-top removal mining and lung cancer.”

They were referring to a study, publicised by Democrat Congressman John Yarmuth last October, which said there was a direct connection between mountaintop removal coal mining dust and cancer.

The team of scientists, mainly from West Virginia University’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Centre, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Centre for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Science, posted the peer-reviewed study ‘Appalachian mountaintop mining particulate matter induces neoplastic transformation of human bronchial epithelial cells and promotes tumour formation’ on October 14.

Dr Michael Hendryx, now at Indiana University’s School of Public Health and one of the study’s authors, said the study showed that dust collected from mountaintop removal (MTR) communities promoted lung cancer.

“Previous studies have shown that people who live in these communities have higher lung cancer rates not due just to smoking, but with this study we now have solid evidence that dust collected from residential areas near MTR sites causes cancerous changes to human lung cells,” Hendryx said.

The US Energy Information Administration revealed earlier this month that coal production from mines with mountaintop removal permits had plummeted 62% since 2008, more than the considerable downward trend in total US coal production.

Surface production fell about 21%, and mountaintop removal, one type of surface production, decreased 62% over this period.

The EIA said lower demand for US coal, primarily used to generate electric power – driven by competitive natural gas prices, increasing use of renewable generation, flat electricity demand, and environmental regulations – contributed to lower US coal production overall.