Mountaintop Removal and Coal Company "Reclamation"
One of the great and underreported environmental travesties of our time is the destruction of hundreds of mountains in Appalachia by mountaintop removal, a form of strip mining that leaves devastating environmental consequences for local communities. But if one listens to the coal industry, one of the recurring arguments for mountaintop removal is that the destroyed and leveled mountaintops are "reclaimed," that is, used for economic and agricultural purposes afterwards. According to a new study by
Appalachian Voices and the
National Resources Defense Council, over 89% of destroyed mountaintops are not used for any economic purposes whatsoever, despite claims to the contrary.
Using their handy map below, one can view the nearly 500 mountains in Appalachia forever destroyed by mountaintop removal, as well as the scant few that have been used for economic or agricultural rebuilding. One more lie perpetuated by the anti-mountain coal industry has been debunked. Isn't it time we stop the horrific practice of mountaintop removal?
http://www.ilovemountains.org/reclamation-fail/
Labels: Appalachia, I Love Mountains, mountaintop removal, west virginia
Stopping Mountaintop Removal in Appalachia
Before moving to West Virginia, I thought I had encountered some of the worst types of pollution and environmental devastation, from nuclear waste being dumped in South Carolina to massive toxic sites in New Jersey. Though those are indeed horrific, mountaintop removal in Appalachia almost assuredly is the most environmentally-destructive practice I've seen.
Mountaintop removal
begins with blasting an entire mountain with high levels of explosives in order to get to the rich coal underneath. Essentially, the remaining mountain dirt and debris is dumped into adjacent valleys and hollows -- and streams --, thus destroying not only the mountains but also vital Appalachian streams and rivers. Coal ash is kept in "sludge" ponds nearby; there are hundreds of such toxic ponds in Appalachia left over from mountaintop removal and coal industry practices in general. Such sludge ponds have overflowed in Kentucky before, wreaking havoc on the environment and surrounding communities.
I strongly believe that mountaintop removal is a crime against humanity and the environment that must be stopped. Collective Appalachian and national organizations must continue to be the watchdog for this destructive coal industry practice and help bring people together for environmental activism.
There's a highly informative
video from the organization "I Love Mountains" that highlights this destructive practice.
Labels: Appalachia, coal industry, environment, I Love Mountains, west virginia
