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Coal Mining Pros And Cons

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Coal mining in the U.S. provides many jobs and is the backbone of many incomes. Longwall coal mining is one form of underground coal mining. In fact, it is the most productive form, yet the safest. The machine used is highly powerful and efficient. Pros for this type of mining are followed by cons as well. The miners who work this machine risk their lives every day to provide for their family’s as well as other people whose job security depends on the production of coal and those who use coal as a resource. The longwall mining machine is 800 ft. in width and around 5-10 ft. in height. The machine uses multiple shears mounted onto self-advancing hydraulic ceiling supports to cut the coal creating rectangular blocks, also known as panels. …show more content…

at that time. CONSOL Energy and Murray American Energy had the most longwall mining operations with 6 being the amount. Two CONSOL Energy mines in Pennsylvania hold the number 1 and 2 positions for the amount of production. The amount of coal produced by longwall mines in the U.S. in 2013-2014 according to Coal Age was a total of 188,037,970 (2013) and 207,060,161 (2014). In some states and regions, coal mining is the backbone of the economy and income. Longwall mining in certain regions, such as Greene and Washington County in Pennsylvania, parts of West Virginia, and Buchanan County in Southwestern Virginia, provide many jobs. Not only are longwall mining jobs available, the coal mines alone provide a variety of jobs in many areas. Pros of longwall mining include more efficient resource extraction as well as being one of the safest jobs in the mines due to the roof supports protecting miners while they are extracting. Although there are pros to longwall mining, like anything else, there are also cons. Extracting such large amounts of coal at a time can create areas of problem for the land above ground. This can damage structures or buildings. Longwall mining can increase sulfate levels in water as well as disrupt animal habitats. The cons may be harmful, but the amount of income and jobs provided by this method overrule the

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Johnson County, nestled between the Arkansas River and the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Northwest Arkansas, is a quiet and sparsely populated region known largely for its scenic vistas and peaches. However, the county has a history of violence and hardship. Clarksville, the county seat of Johnson County, is a sleepy and peaceful city, best known for the annual Peach Festival. But, in the 1870s the city was known nationally as “Bloody Clarksville” because of the numerous outlaws, gunfights, and hangings.

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The Coal Creek War was the beginning of its own kind of wild labor strike, involving brave and strong-willed miners that weren’t backed or protected by a union. It became a true war as the miners’ careers and quality of life seemed to be diminishing and weren’t cared about or taken into consideration by the Governor. The war didn’t affect everyone from the South and there were other jobs available, including mining jobs, so was it worth the battle? The problems in Coal Creek all began in 1877 when a rise in crime and a labor dispute led to the state bringing convicts into the mine to work (Legacy).

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In Cape Breton, the Sydney coalfield is one of the richest coal resources in the world. Before becoming miners, many poor European Immigrants came to Canada for hopes of earning more money than they did before, many Scottish immigrants settled in Cape Breton but remained poor and jobless. Business men in the late 1800s saw better use for the failing mining companies in Cape Breton if there was a railway built going from Sydney to Louisberg, the provincial government agreed to this which meant coal was not only worth more but the mines would not close during the winter months as they usually did. The dominion coal company took over many unprofitable coal mines in the Sydney Coal Field, many mining sites were built in Glace Bay when the coal industry really took, men were coming to get jobs daily in large numbers and The Dominion Coal Company hurriedly built boarding houses for the men to live in. After these boarding houses were built, they built school houses for the married miners children, hospitals, police stations and fire stations.

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