Mountaintop Removal

Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining and its Effect on the Environment

It is no longer a secret that the fossil fuels, which are the major source of electricity generation in the United States, contribute significantly to global climate change. Coal mining is a huge industry, producing nearly half of U.S. electricity. In 2010, approximately 10 percent of electricity generated from coal was produced from mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining (“Mountaintop Removal Mining” 129). MTR coal mining is a method of surface mining that uses explosives to blast off the tops of mountains in order to extract the coal seams that lie deep beneath the mountain. This form of mining became popular in Appalachia in the 1970s when the energy prices were on the rise

The blasted material is known as “overburden” or spoil (“Mountaintop Removal Mining” 129). The overburden is pushed down into valleys and streams below, raising concerns over environmental issues. Despite such issues, lawmakers have permitted and even encouraged MTR because it is a job creator. Powerful coal companies lobby congress in an effort to limit restrictions and safety regulations concerning the practice of MTR. Coal companies wish to safeguard this method of mining because it provides cheaper and quicker access to coal while saving on labor costs. The role of mountaintop removal mining from the industry’s perspective versus the environmentalists’ perspective has sparked significant controversy. Despite the political clout wielded by powerful coal companies, concerns over environmental impacts have resulted in regulations. According to an article in Congressional Digest, “Mountaintop coal mining is heavily regulated at both the State and Federal levels, through a complex web of statutes, including the Surface Mining and Control Reclamation Act, the Clean Water Act (CWA), and the National Environmental Policy Act” (129). Even with such regulations in place, MTR coal mining continues to have a devastating effect on the

One area of controversy surrounding mountaintop removal is the permanent damage it has on ecosystems of the Appalachian Mountains which is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Part of the process of MTR that damages ecosystems involves valley fills. Valley fills occur when overburden is pushed off the mountain after the blast and then travels into the valleys, burying rivers and streams. Another environmental effect of mountaintop removal mining is the creation of toxic coal sludge impoundments. Coal sludge is a waste product that is created during the mining process. One such impoundment in West Virginia holds 200 billion gallons of toxic coal sludge and sits a mere 400 feet upslope from an elementary school (Fabricant). In 2000, a coal sludge dam operated by Massey Energy failed, releasing close to 300 million gallons of coal waste, an event which the EPA referred to at the time as the worst environmental disaster of the Southeast (Culture Change). In addition to impacting the environment, mountaintop removal also affects the residents of coal communities. According to Bryan T. McNeil, author of Combating Mountaintop Removal, coal communities face wide-ranging problems attributed to the coal industry including, “coal dust blanketing homes, overloaded coal trucks barreling down narrow, winding mountain roads; floods caused by increased runoff from strip mines; acid water