Mountaintop Removal

There are several types of coal mining used throughout the world in different circumstances. Each has benefits in terms of production of coal, but they also have drawbacks in terms of environmental impact and safety risks. Nevertheless, coal production remains on the rise in many countries and does not appear to be subsiding any time soon. Mountaintop removal has become an increasingly popular method of coal mining, especially in the United States. It is mostly used in the Appalachian Mountains, specifically in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Coal companies claim this process produces greater economic profit and is safer than previous methods. When the desired site is found, the coal companies remove trees and any foliage from the mountaintop. Holes are drilled and explosives are set, blasting through the overburden, which is rock, soil, and the environment above what is being mined. The blasting can remove up to 400 vertical feet of
Room and pillar mining is an example of one such dangerous method. Continuous miner machines remove coal, eventually forming entire open rooms. Large pillars are left in a grid-like pattern to support the roof. The coal is cleared while digging and is taken back to the surface using conveyor belts. Crews then enter the room and insert metal rods into the roof four to six feet apart from each other in order to maintain the integrity of the topsoil and the surface. Around half of the coal in the mined area remains unexcavated in the form of the pillars, so at times, coal companies practice retreat mining. This is the process of removing the pillars with the goal of extracting as much coal as possible. Retreat mining must be conducted very carefully with extreme planning and care. It has accounted for 25% of all mining-related deaths, but only accounts for about 10% of the coal industry in terms of processes