The Price Appalachia Pays

“Out of sight, out of mind” is why most Americans do not know what mountaintop removal coal mining is or that it is one of our country’s greatest environmental and human rights tragedies.

In order to quickly and easily access the seems of coal in the Appalachian mountains, mining companies first strip away the forests and topsoil, then use explosives-up to 100 times as strong as those used in the Oklahoma City federal building bombing-to blast up to 1,000 feet off of the mountaintops and expose the coal. Anything that isn’t coal, or the “overburden,” is dumped into adjacent valleys, in some places up to a depth of 600 feet. To date, this process has flattened at least a million acres and buried over 1,200 miles of biologically crucial Appalachian springs and creeks.

The environmental and community impacts of mountaintop removal mining are devastating, affecting everything from coalfield employment and flash floods to chemical fumes and “flyrock.” How is this allowed to happen? It’s all about profits. Mountaintop mines recover almost 100% of the coal in the ground and require far fewer workers. Also at fault is a 2002 rule change orchestrated by the Bush Administration.

A court victory was won in 2007 when a federal judge ordered greater environmental review of permits for mountaintop removal in West Virginia. Unfortunately, that decision was just overturned on February 13th by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, and the mining companies are ready to go.

As big of a setback as this decision is, there is legislative progress occurring. On the federal level, The Clean Water Protection Act was introduced last year with 153 co-sponsors, and will likely be re-introduced in the 111th Congress. Here in North Carolina, the Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act was just introduced in the house and senate this week. The legislation would phase out state utility purchases of coal from mountaintop removal mines.

Chances are the power you use every day is connected to mountaintop removal mining. Want to be sure? Check out the cool widget on the homepage of iLoveMountains.org’s website. You just enter your zip code and you’ll find out if your utility company is part of the problem. If they are, visit their website and let them know how you feel about this destructive practice.