Photo of what an area looks like after Mountaintop Removal-
Mountaintop Removal as a form of mining for coal is one of the most disturbing practices of short-sighted corporations & governments who are only interested in profits & don't give a damn about the environmental impacts of such a method of mining nor are they concerned about the impact it has on the inhabitants or their culture. The people of Appalachia having been maligned & marginalized as a group by outsiders have become easy prey for these voracious corporations who gain themselves a great deal from this mining practice but give little back to the communities which they essentially destroy through this destructive form of mining. Watching films & video about this practice one would think you were witnessing the sort of careless practices as would take place in a third world country like Myanmar/Burma where corporations can do what they like as long as those in power can get a big piece of the action as it were - bu the Bush administration can easily be compared to such third World authoritarian regimes where " the all mighty dollar " is everything- where human rights & the environment are not even a consideration- This is Capitalism at its worst surely our values must encompass more things than just Greed -
( note I did a post on this on Sept. 08, 2007 Christians For The Environment - Mountaintop Ministry)
" More than 450 mountains have been destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining. Watch this video of mountaintop removal featuring Woody Harrelson and a soundtrack featuring an original recording of "Blowin' in the Wind," sung by Willie Nelson.
This video is part of the National Memorial for the Mountains, hosted by www.ilovemountains.org."
and from News Blaze Mountaintop Removal Mining is Destructive and Wrong - Help Stop it! by Care2 and ThePetitionSite team
What is more important than the safety of our drinking water and the quality of our natural environment?
Certainly not the profits of coal companies.
Mountaintop removal mining is the nation's most destructive form of coal mining, and it has to stop.
Mountaintop removal is exactly what it sounds like: Mining companies clearcut native forests and blow off mountaintops with explosives to uncover thin seams of coal, then dump millions of tons of the waste rock into the valleys below, permanently burying streams.
This devastating practice poisons drinking water, lays waste to wildlife habitat, increases risk of flooding, and wipes out entire communities.
Little by little, mountaintop removal mining is destroying the mountains, streams, communities and the heritage of Appalachia.
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Mountaintop Removal-Black Diamonds documentary trailer
Toxic West Virginia : Mountaintop Removal Episode 1
Toxic West Virginia-Part 2
( the remaining parts found at YouTube)
Latest News:
from It's Getting Hot In Here Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement
Save Appalachia: Stop Mountaintop Removal by yochizakai, October 4th, 2007
In the process of mountaintop removal mining:
* forests are clear-cut to expose the tops of mountains, which are then blown off with explosives
* coal is extracted using large machinery
* unused soil and rock are dumped into adjacent stream valleys, filling them up and creating a flat landscape
Residents of Appalachia living near these mines are threatened by:
* dangerous toxic sludge damsLearn More About Coal Mining
* dynamite blasts that damage homes
* clouds of rock dust from poorly regulated mine operations
* poisoned or depleted well water and polluted streams
* increased flooding
* the loss of traditional fishing and hunting areas
* breathing coal dust in their homes
This destructive practice has been facilitated by the Bush administration’s disregard of a Reagan-era regulation, known as the “stream buffer zone rule.” This rule prohibits any mining activities to take place within 100 feet of a stream unless it can be proven that water quality and quantity will not be adversely impacted. According to the Office of Surface Mining, the Bush administration has blatantly disregarded this rule by approving the destruction of 535 miles of streams since taking office.
The administration is now proposing to repeal the steam buffer zone rule and give mountaintop removal mining companies a blank check to dump toxic waste and hundreds of millions of tons of mountain remains directly into steams.
You can help stop the destruction of Appalachia’s communities, mountains and streams by saying NO to King Coal.
Mountaintop Removal Take Action
from The Charleston Gazette-oct 12.2007
Boone County mountaintop removal project blocked
By Ken Ward Jr.
Staff writer
A federal judge on Thursday blocked a coal operator from starting a new valley fill at a mountaintop removal mine in Boone County.
U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers issued a preliminary injunction that stops new mining at Jupiter Holdings LLC's Callisto Surface Mine near Bob White.
Chambers ruled that permanent damage to streams and forests outweighed temporary and speculative economic harm to the company.
"Money can be earned, lost and earned again," Chambers wrote in a 12-page opinion, "a valley once filled is gone."
Chambers said it is "undisputed" that the mining would damage the environment. Also, the judge said, the permit approval was based on the same flawed environmental evaluation and mitigation techniques as others he previously has ruled were illegal.
The preliminary injunction issued Thursday blocks further mining until Chambers can hold a full trial on allegations about the permit's legality.
and check out this article from The Northener Appalachian author criticizes mountain top removal
Biggers says NKU can help find solution to energy shortage
Keith Wilson 10/10/07
When author Jeff Biggers came to speak at Northern Kentucky University, the destructive process of mining known as mountain top removal taking place across Appalachia was the main focus of his presentation.
But Biggers had a lot to say on energy use, Appalachian culture and the persisting stereotypes of Appalachia, of which Kentucky is a part of. The Northerner spoke with Biggers combining that with compiled information from Lisa Guidarini's interview from the Web site Bluestalking Reader to find out what Biggers really thinks about Appalachia.
One of Biggers' biggest concerns is over-energy use, especially in Appalachia, where an abundance of coal is mined, which is an issue that he believes NKU students and Northern Kentucky residents can play a role in finding a solution.
"One of the big issues facing our country ... is that of our energy policy. Nationwide, we depend on coal for over 50 percent of our electricity; over 80 percent in Ohio. I think we need a new vanguard in our energy policy, specifically to pursue renewable energy sources," he said.
Biggers said coal is often thought of as cheap and inexhaustible, but that the price paid is not just monetary but also in man power and the toll to the environment.
"In truth, the real question is at whose expense is coal cheap? In Appalachia - which includes Eastern Kentucky and Southern Ohio - coal companies have increasingly turned toward a bizarre form of strip-mining called mountaintop removal, which not only devastates the mountains, but the economies and social fabric of communities in its path," Biggers said. "We have strip-mined a vital part of our nation's legacy."
Take care,
GORD.
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