Is mountaintop removal used for coal mining?
Is mountaintop removal used for coal mining?
Michael Hendryx: Mountaintop removal is a form of surface coal mining. As the name suggests, it literally removes up to 800 feet off the tops of mountains to try to reach coal seams that are not accessible by other mining techniques because the terrain is too steep or the veins are too thin.
Where is mountaintop removal most common?
Mountaintop removal is a relatively new type of coal mining that began in Appalachia in the 1970s as an extension of conventional strip mining techniques. Primarily, mountaintop removal is occurring in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.
Why would a mountain top coal stop using mountaintop removal for coal mining?
Surface mining destroys the potential for development based on tourism and sustainable forest products. Mountaintop removal has annihilated more than 500 mountaintops and 2,000 miles of streams — and the Center is working to stop mountaintop removal before it annihilates any more.
Is mountaintop removal mining illegal?
Mountaintop Removal Mining Permits Illegal.
In which state has the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining been most extensive?
It occurs most commonly in West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, the top two coal-producing states in Appalachia. At current rates, MTR in the U.S. will mine over 1.4 million acres (5,700 km²) by 2010, an amount of land area that exceeds that of the state of Delaware.
Where does mountaintop removal mining take place?
Mountaintop removal takes place primarily in eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, and eastern Tennessee.
What loophole legalized mountaintop removal?
Back in 2002, the Bush administration created a loophole by adopting a regulation defining mining spoil from surface mines (and other similar wastes) as “fill material” to be regulated by the Corps—essentially legalizing mountaintop removal by allowing the dumping of mining waste into waterways.
How many mountains have been destroyed by mountaintop removal?
500 mountains
Tragically, mountaintop removal mining has already destroyed more than 500 mountains encompassing more than 1 million acres of Central and Southern Appalachia.
What are some pros and cons of mountaintop removal coal mining?
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- It’s cheaper than other mining methods. At first glance, mountaintop removal might seem expensive.
- It’s more efficient compared other strategies.
- It helps keep energy crises at bay.
- It can harm the environment.
- It exposes people to health and safety hazards.
How does mountaintop coal removal pose a threat to human health?
Since 2007, peer-reviewed studies by researchers from more than a dozen universities have concluded that mountaintop removal coal mining contributes to significantly higher rates of birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases among individuals living in the region where it occurs.
Why is mountaintop removal mining beneficial?
“With mountaintop removal you’re able to mine seams that you could not mine with underground mining because they are so thin—but it’s a very high-quality coal,” said Roger Horton, a truck driver and United Mine Workers Union representative who works at a mountaintop site in Logan, West Virginia.
What are three drawbacks to mountaintop mining?
This is most likely why many people who live near mountaintop removal mining areas have more health problems than those who don’t. Studies have found that residents near MTR sites experience hypertension, lung cancer and chronic lung, heart and kidney disease (among other types of illnesses) at a higher rate.
