Mountaintop Removal Mining
Mountaintop Removal Mining
Do you ever wonder or consider where the energy is coming from when you flip the switch every time you need electrical power? I don’t think many people have any idea where that energy is coming from. The same disconnection can be applied to the food industry. This disconnection between these services that everyone is accustomed to having and using creates great problems, in my opinion. The coal industry has been fueling the United States for the last century. It used to be a highly labor intensive and dangerous occupation to be a miner and the mining industry employed many people. Beginning in the 1990’s, a new way to extract coal that is highly machine driven and efficient emerged in Appalachia known as Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTR). I want to address the issues of mountaintop removal mining. The basic structure of the paper will be: (I) First, I will present a technical description of what happens during mountaintop removal mining. (II) Next, I will address the environmental, human health, and institutional problems caused mountaintop removal mining in the Appalachians. (III) I will then focus on solutions and changes that need to be addressed to deal with the environmental and social problems.
(I) Technical Description of MTR Mining
Mountaintop removal mining has been practiced since the late 1960’s, but was a relatively small source of coal supply for the United States. Before the 1990’s much of the coal was mined the old-fashioned way having actual mining shafts and a heavily labor intensive extraction process. There are a few factors according to the article “Mountaintop Removal Mining” from Environmental Health Perspective by Holzman that contributed for the emergence of mountaintop removal mining in the mid-1990’s practice. “First, the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 encouraged companies to seek low-sulfur coal, which is abundant in central Appalachia. Mountaintop removal mining also uses less labor than underground
Do you ever wonder or consider where the energy is coming from when you flip the switch every time you need electrical power? I don’t think many people have any idea where that energy is coming from. The same disconnection can be applied to the food industry. This disconnection between these services that everyone is accustomed to having and using creates great problems, in my opinion. The coal industry has been fueling the United States for the last century. It used to be a highly labor intensive and dangerous occupation to be a miner and the mining industry employed many people. Beginning in the 1990’s, a new way to extract coal that is highly machine driven and efficient emerged in Appalachia known as Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTR). I want to address the issues of mountaintop removal mining. The basic structure of the paper will be: (I) First, I will present a technical description of what happens during mountaintop removal mining. (II) Next, I will address the environmental, human health, and institutional problems caused mountaintop removal mining in the Appalachians. (III) I will then focus on solutions and changes that need to be addressed to deal with the environmental and social problems.
(I) Technical Description of MTR Mining
Mountaintop removal mining has been practiced since the late 1960’s, but was a relatively small source of coal supply for the United States. Before the 1990’s much of the coal was mined the old-fashioned way having actual mining shafts and a heavily labor intensive extraction process. There are a few factors according to the article “Mountaintop Removal Mining” from Environmental Health Perspective by Holzman that contributed for the emergence of mountaintop removal mining in the mid-1990’s practice. “First, the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 encouraged companies to seek low-sulfur coal, which is abundant in central Appalachia. Mountaintop removal mining also uses less labor than underground
Bibliography: Burns, Shirley Stewart. Bringing Down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal Surface Coal Mining on Southern West Virginia Communities, 1970-2004. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University Press, 2007. Palmer M, Bernhardt E, Wilcock P, et al. Mountaintop Mining Consequences. Science [serial online]. January 8, 2010;327(5962):148-149. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 2, 2012. Mountaintop Mining Overview. Congressional Digest [serial online]. May 2010;89(5):130-160. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 2, 2012. ERRATA. Environmental Health Perspectives [serial online]. December 2011;119(12):A509. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 2, 2012. "Final PEIS 2005 | Mid-Atlantic Mountaintop Mining | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. <http://www.epa.gov/region03/mtntop/eis2005.htm>. "Mid-Atlantic Mountaintop Mining | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. <http://www.epa.gov/region3/mtntop/>. "Mountain Justice - What is Mountain Top Removal Mining?." Mountain Justice. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. <http://mountainjustice.org/facts/steps.php>. "Projects | Coal River Mountain Watch." Coal River Mountain Watch. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. <http://crmw.net/projects/coal-river-wind.php>.