Viewpoints on Mountain Top Removal Mining in Appalachia Introduction Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTR) is a method of surface mining which involves using explosives to eliminate up to 1000 vertical feet of rock to reach the coal seams. This method of mining is progressively being used as a substitute for underground mining to extract coal from the regions of Appalachian Mountain (Mountaintop removal – Source Watch, 2015). The Appalachian region is where one of the oldest and most biologically diverse mountain systems is located. However, due to the resulting debris of mountaintop removal mining, the region has already been destroyed (Ecological Impacts of Mountaintop Removal, 2017). About 1.2 million acres which includes 500 mountains have …show more content…
According to Junior Walk, there were people in that area when he was a kid. However, from 1980s until today, there has been a departure of large number of people in West Virginia. Ever since mountaintop removal coal mining started in that area, many people lost their jobs, moved away, or became sick. He claimed that mountaintop removal mining is the reason why people left the area. Junior Walk stated that mountaintop removal mining is a topic that he is really interested in as he experienced the consequences of this mining technique himself. When he was a little child, their water supply at home turned into blood-red and smelled like Sulfur. This happened when the liquid coal waste needs to be pump into the abandoned coal mines near Junior’s home. The water wasn’t drinkable however his family still used it for washing dishes and clothes and for taking a shower. The wastewater by-product is called slurry or sludge which is four times heavier than water. It is produced when the coal is being washed with chemicals to remove its impurities. The slurry will then get pumped into old abandoned underground coal mines where there are people living …show more content…
Trump’s administration doesn’t see the effects of mountaintop mining removal on the environment and people living around the area. Trump’s administration cancelled the study that was being conducted by the National Academy of Sciences about this issue. Cancelling the study means that Trump doesn’t see the worth of people’s lives and health in Appalachia. An organisation in Appalachia has been requesting a study to be conducted about this mining issue for years. After waiting for years, National Academy of Sciences started to conduct the very first study about possible risks to health that is associated with mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. Some members of the congress in West Virginia supported the research. However, many politicians were not in support of this study. Mountaintop removal mining is one of the most damaging and dangerous mining techniques in the industry. Mountaintops are literally being blown into pieces to extract the coal within the mountain. Mountain landscapes are replaced with dirt pits in areas where there is mountaintop removal mining. Studies have found the impacts of surface coal mining to the health of residents in Appalachia. Chronic cardiovascular disease, cancer, birth defects is higher than other places where mountaintop removal doesn’t