- 2009 Appalachia Restoration Act is introduced in the U.S. Senate, and the first-ever Senate hearings on mountaintop removal are held.
- Documented more than 30,000 Clean Water Act violations at Kentucky coal mines, and brought legal actions against the companies that lead to unprecedented fines.
- Gained 172 co-sponsors for the Clean Water Protection Act in the House of Representatives and twelve co-sponsors in the Senate.
- The Obama Administration released the “Interagency Action Plan to Address Strip Mining in Central Appalachia,” a Memorandum of Understanding between the Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Interior, and Council of Environmental Quality. The plan resulted in the suspension of 86 permit applications, 79 of which were held for further review.
- Started planning inclusion and anti-discrimination training
- Started mini lobby trips to Washington, DC
- Local work and training on citizens rights under SMCRA, a weekend in Wise, VA.