Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining - Essay Example

?Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Mountaintop removal coal mining is the mining of coal on steep terrains or mountain tops. It is a strip mining method where coal deposits are extracted from below the surface of mountain tops and steep slopes of mountains or valleys (Perks 1). The first process of this heavily mechanized mining method is clearing of any vegetation in the site, and then powerful explosives are deployed turning the immediate surface weak thus making it easy for powerful machines to dig through it. Big trucks are continuously being filled with earth debris which is constantly taken away from the site. Then a powerful machine known as the dragline digs through the rocks to expose the coal deposits. Finally, giant machines scoop the coal and deposit the load on waiting trucks for transportation (Perks 2). This mining method is actively taking place in the Central Appalachia region spanning across four states that include, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky in Central America (Perks 2). A continuous increase in electricity demand and a reduction in the once easily accessed coal has led to the ever increasing coal mines in the Central Appalachian mountain tops. This has resulted to the destruction of mountaintops in the hundreds thus loosing the beauty they once possessed since the land is left bare with little or no vegetation. Many environmental organizations’ have called to the immediate halt of this mining method since they argue it poses eminent danger to the environment and to the wellbeing of the surrounding communities. The environmental implications brought about by this economic activity cannot be understated. The damage that has been caused by the mountaintop removal coal mining method on the water bodies, the wildlife and the forest cover around the Central Appalachian mountaintops has led to a disrupted ecosystem (Perks 2). From the cleared forest cover to the disposal of waste and debris into the neighboring valleys, the environmental degradation of the Central Appalachian region has been on a steady rise. Mountaintop removal coal mining method tends to produce a lot of waste which is usually dumped in the nearby valleys, leading to blockage of streams and pollution of the water ways (Perks 3). A study by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, found that the mine waste that has been dumped on the valleys has buried thousands of miles of streams. This valley fills become large expanses of barren land, which because of their toxic nature it becomes impossible to develop. Mining companies do not embark on reforestation exercises as required by law and instead plant non native grass to replace the forest of hardwoods that was once present (Perks 4). The remaining waterways that are not entirely blocked by the mine valley fills run the risk of being heavily polluted. The toxic nature of these valley fills makes the water streams that run from them carry toxic chemicals and trace metals that are not only harmful to the aquatic life, but also to the surrounding wildlife and human population (Perks 3). EPA estimates that over 60% of the streams located in the Central Appalachian region are compromised by the hazardous amount of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. A study done by the EPA has found levels of magnesium, calcium, manganese, dissolved solids and water hardness have increased significantly, thus greatly compromising the quality of the water to any life form around the area (Perks 3). Apart from the solid waste that create valley fills, the liquid waste that is created by water that is used to wash the coal for impurities so that it can be ready for the market. The liquid waste is a mixture of carcinogenic chemicals, small particles of coal that contain mercury and arsenic which are considered harmful heavy metals and all other chemical compounds found in coal (Chhotray 5). Liquid waste from the mining process is put in storage in an enormous, risky impoundment that is usually located near a water body. Backwater spills that frequently occur from these impoundments cause water pollution with grave consequences. A major spill has ever occurred causing major environmental disaster to over 75 miles of stream. The pollution of the water supply has a significant and negative impact on the health of humans who depend on these water supplies. The heavy metals found in the mining waste that has spilled or dissolved into the streams has led to people developing severe health problems and some of the diseases can be terminal (Chhotray 7). A study that was conducted in the Central Appalachia region found that the level of mortality in that region was relatively higher as compared to other places in the United States. The study revealed that residents of the Central Appalachia region had an abnormal high rate of heart related diseases. A study done by the Eastern Kentucky University on children in Letcher County in Kentucky found that they suffer from symptoms similar to those of the Blue baby syndrome disease. These symptoms consist of queasiness, diarrhea, vomiting and shortness of breath which the study blames the dissolved minerals in the water that might have leaked from the mine sites that are present in the area. An increase in cases of cancer, kidney failure and heart disease is now becoming an increasingly common health issues people living in the Central Appalachian region have to endure. Air pollution is also an environmental problem caused by the mountain removal mining method. Powerful explosions that occur at the mine sites send rock and coal debris flying in the air making it unfit to breath to humans (Chhotray 9). Lung related diseases, for example, Coal Worker’ Pneumoconiosis, tend to affect people leaving in this type of polluted environment. Sometimes the debris that is blasted can be big in size and cause physical injuries to the unsuspecting community. There are documented cases where flying rock boulders have claimed lives of people who reside near coal mine sites (Chhotray 9). Apart from causing physical harm or lung diseases, the powerful explosions are also an irritating cause of noise pollution to the residents near the coal sites. Large tracts of forest land in the Central Appalachia region have been cut down to pave the way for mining process of coal. A study done by the EPA has found that more than 380000 acres of forest land has been cleared, and valley fills represent more than 80000 acres of that figure. Deforestation in the area has had negative effects to the environment and to the wildlife living in the region. The biodiversity of the Central Appalachian region is greatly reduced by deforestation thus experiencing a decline in recreational activities such as fishing and hunting. Reclamation methods used by the mining companies usually do not restore the land to its previous condition but instead plant grass that is non-native to the region. The Central Appalachian forests support a different variety of wildlife and plants unique to the region. Forests that are not directly destroyed by the mountaintop removal mining process eventually die out due to the heavy pollution of their immediate environment. The forest of Central Appalachian region not only acts as habitat for wildlife, but also plays a role in preventing flooding. Some settlements in the region are located at the foot of slopes and mountains thus making them susceptible to flooding (Chhotray 10). However, dense vegetation of trees and vegetation play a crucial role in preventing floods from occurring. Clearing of this dense vegetation for the purpose of mining coal posses a great risk of landslides and severe erosions to the valleys below the mountain that contain human settlements. Forests are known to play a crucial role in checking the levels of carbon emission in the atmosphere. A high level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere creates a green house effect which means higher temperatures than normal. A study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that by the year 2012 over million acres of forest land will be cleared, thus leading to a significant increase in hazardous carbon levels in the atmosphere (perk 4). Mountaintop removal mining process does not only impact negatively on the surrounding ecosystem and the state of health of people nearby, but also on the general well being of people living around the mine sites. Human labor has greatly being reduced at the mining sites due to the heavy mechanization of the mining process (Perk 6). Communities that used to exist due to the economic activity of mining tend to disappear due to lack of employment. With the advance in explosives technology, human labor is reduced significantly since it is expensive and less efficient. The mining and sale of coal is a multibillion dollar industry but the sad reality is the counties in the Central Appalachian regions are among the poorest in the whole country in terms of income and unemployment levels (Perk 7). People who live too close to the mine sites are usually displaced thus affecting them on a personal level and culturally (Chhotray 10). Mining firms usually buy homes from those residing in the mine site so as to make it safe to have blast areas. Powerful blasts and tremors caused by the mining activity, eventually forces those whose homes were not bought out to relocate because of the foundations and structural destruction caused to their homes. Loaded coal trucks are usually too heavy for the roads to handle, thus leading to damaged roads which are usually repaired by the local taxpayer’s money (Chhotray 11). Noise pollution, dust pollution and mud menace are the troubles residents living near these mines have to go through every day of their daily lives (Chhotray 11). The Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act (TSVPA) is a law which if passed will ban mountaintop mining method. This method of mining has been termed as the most destructive form of mining ever practiced. Those rooting for the act to be law argue that the lives of many people living in the Appalachian region have been either destroyed or lost as a result of mountaintop removal mining method (Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act). Many argue that the land rehabilitation that is done by the mining companies is a sloppy, if not pathetic, effort of trying to return the land back to its former state. Many activists argue that it is impossible to rehabilitate the land to its former state since after mining the coal the soil that is left behind does not support growth of trees (Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act). They also argue that it is impossible to replace natural trees that have been growing there for millions of years with those planted by man. Activists of the Appalachia region also argue that the mining process has not led to economic prosperity as the mining companies had promised it would bring. Instead, it did the opposite and many residents of the region earn less than average making counties around the region among the lowest earning per household in the country. They argue that the profit of coal mining is not something the residents of the Central Appalachia region are a part of. This act has attracted support from the Christian faithful of Tennessee who see the mountain removal mining method as destruction of God’s creation. Now it is up to the senators in the environment committee to debate on it and vote for or against it. Most people in the Appalachia region believe that banning of mountain top removal mining method will not mean a crippled economy in the region since, they argue, by saving the forests a lot people would be employed in the tourism industry (Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act). Environmentalists argue that there many animal species that are unique to the Appalachia region if efforts are not made to protect their natural habitat, they might become extinct. The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is also an argument used to support the ban mountaintop removal mining process. While mountaintop removal mining is a destructive mining method, there is another method of mining coal called underground mining which is less destructive and it tends to employ more individuals than the mountaintop removal method does (Perk 8). However, mining companies argue that some coal deposits are too thin and that some are dangerously positioned to use underground mining method. This, they argue, would leave some coal mines unexplored. Coal mining companies seem to think it is rational to destroy mountains in all their natural beauty and wildlife in them for the purpose of extracting coal (Perk 8). Work Cited Chhotray, Shilpi. Mountaintop Removal: Effects on Human Health and the Environment, 2008. Print. Myhre, Jess E. Coal Mining & Mountaintop Removal, 2011. Washington: Earth Day Network. Print. Perks, Rob. Health Impacts of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, 2009 Natural Resources Defense Council. Print. Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act. Appalachian Voices. 2012. Web. March 23, 2012. Read More