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Mountaintop Removal

Mountaintop Removal . Christina Buckless CPSP218L Section 0201 March 23, 2010. http://www.mountainroadshow.com/gallery/ky_mtr/028.jpg. What is Mountaintop Removal?. Mountaintop Mining/Coal-extraction process Tops of mountains are removed, exposing the seams of coal

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Mountaintop Removal

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  1. Mountaintop Removal Christina Buckless CPSP218L Section 0201 March 23, 2010 http://www.mountainroadshow.com/gallery/ky_mtr/028.jpg

  2. What is Mountaintop Removal? • Mountaintop Mining/Coal-extraction process • Tops of mountains are removed, exposing the seams of coal • Earth from the mountaintop is dumped in the adjacent valleys (valley fill) http://www.mountainroadshow.com/gallery/ky_mtr/031.jpg

  3. http://ilovemountains.org/images/FAQimages/Map_Permits.jpg

  4. Steps Involved • Clearing • Blasting • Digging • Dumping • Processing • Revegetation http://alternativeenergy.procon.org/files/alternativeenergy/large_mountain_top.jpg

  5. Clearing • Layers of rock and dirt (overburden) above coal removed http://www.griffincoal.com.au/getfile.aspx?Type=image&ID=1795&ObjectType=3&ObjectID=746

  6. Blasting • Reaching coal can require removal of up to 800 ft of rock • Explosives are used to blow off the top of the mountain http://www.coalcountrythemovie.com/about_page.html http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45273000/jpg/_45273075_coalblast512.jpg

  7. Digging • Lower levels of coal and debris removed by dragline • Draglines: 8 million pounds, 20 stories tall http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Coal_mine_Wyoming.jpg

  8. Dumping Waste • “Overburden” (former mountaintops) placed into valleys, creating valley fills • 6,700 in 16 years • Waste from mining operations dumped into nearby streams • 1200 miles of steams buried • 724 completely filled http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/MountaintopRemoval/images/valley_fill.jpg

  9. Processing.. • Coal is washed; excess water or coal slurry is the result • Stored in impoundments • Slurry contains toxic chemicals http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/files/images/blogentry/pondposter2_t300.jpg http://www.africanwater.org/images/compost2.jpg

  10. Revegetation • Revegetation and reclamation required • 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act- restore land to “approximate original contour” http://files.posterous.com/forestpolicy/oeMl36XZgv9H40U12hhiN9ONaNWMvJmyPyFAxyKqUlcqR1kQogRgBfHZUfK1/mountaintop_removal3.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=1C9REJR1EMRZ83Q7QRG2&Expires=1269213832&Signature=gQgp48rXeC2%2BI%2FGwX9f%2BxzPoiA0%3D

  11. Effects of Mountaintop Removal- Communities • Human health impacts from the blasting • Increased mortality and diseases • Blue baby syndrome • Loss of jobs/poverty • Sludge Dams • Drop in Property Value • Old Mining Towns disappear http://www.appalachianlawcenter.org/ http://english.obusiness.cn/yhhnj/en/images/DrinkingPollutedWater.jpg

  12. Effects of Mountaintop Removal- Environment • Deforestation • Loss of streams • Contamination ofstreams • Loss of mountains • Loss of biodiversity • Flooding • Mudslides http://images.townnews.com/news-expressky.com/content/articles/2007/04/19/top_story/01mudslide.jpg

  13. In a pickle… • Central Appalachia provides much of the country’s coal, second to Wyoming • Mining the backbone of West Virginias economy • One hundred tons of coal are extracted every two seconds • Kentucky- 80 % of harvested coal is sold and shipped to twenty-two other states • Why should these residents have to deal with the effects of coal mining? Jobs and money over health? Are the social and environmental costs worth it?

  14. What can WE do? • TAKE ACTION! • Clean Water Protection Act-H.R. 1310, H.R 2169 • Appalachia Restoration Act- S 696 http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2123/2516336530_5df49a1b22.jpg http://www.ilovemountains.org/clean-water-protection-act/

  15. What can WE do? • Support clean energy alternatives • End coal dependence • Education • Campus resources; Margaret Palmer • SPREAD THE WORD! • Stand up and fight! • Participate in 5th Annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington • Join organizations, such as the Student Sustainability Committee & UMD for Clean Energy http://www.coalcountrythemovie.com/about_page.html

  16. Summary • Turns ecosystems to rubble • Contaminates freshwater sources • Causes health hazards and death • Ruins communities due to its flooding, blasting and sludge dams • Taking steps backwards in helping America become more efficient • Using coal not alternative energy sources

  17. Work Cited • "The Appalachian Region - Appalachian Regional Commission." Home - Appalachian Regional Commission. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. <http://www.arc.gov/appalachian_region/TheAppalachianRegion.asp>. • Biello, David. "Mountaintop Removal Mining: EPA Says Yes, Scientists Say No." Scientific America 08 Jan. 2010. Print. • "Coal Controversy In Appalachia : Feature Articles." NASA Earth Observatory : Home. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/MountaintopRemoval/>. • "The Destructive Process of Mountaintop Removal |." WebEcoist. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://webecoist.com/2009/04/17/the-destructive-process-of-mountaintop-removal/>. • "Learn More about Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining." ILoveMountains.org - End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.ilovemountains.org/resources>. • "Mid-Atlantic Mountaintop Mining | US EPA." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.epa.gov/region3/mtntop/>. • Mitchell, John G. "When Mountains Move." National Geographic Mar. 2006. Print. • Morello, Carol. "Rocky Road-Widening." The Washington Post 06 Jan. 2005. Print • “Mountaintop Removal Mining: What Is It?" Earthjustice: Environmental Law: Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.earthjustice.org/library/features/mountaintop-removal-mining-how-it-s-done.html>. • "Mountaintop Removal Mining: What We're Doing." Earthjustice: Environmental Law: Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. <http://www.earthjustice.org/library/features/moutaintop-removal-mining-what-we-re-doing.html>. • Palmer, M. A., et al. "Mountaintop Mining Consequences." Science 327.5962 (2010): 148-149. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. • Perks, Rob. "Scientists Support Ban on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining." Web Log post. NRDC: The Earth's Best Defense. Switchboard, 07 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rperks/preeminent_scientists_call_for.html>. • "Process | Mid-Atlantic Mountaintop Mining | US EPA." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.epa.gov/region3/mtntop/process.htm>. • Reece, Erik. "Mountaintop-removal Mining Is Devastating Appalachia, but Residents Are Fighting Back." Orion Magazine Jan. 2006. Grist. 16 Apr. 2006. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.grist.org/article/reece/#comments>. • Webb, Bo, and Vivian Stockman. "Coal-sludge Dam Hazardous to School, Public." The Charleston Gazette 07 May 2005. Print. • "What Is Mountain Top Removal Mining?" Mountain Justice. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/facts/steps.php>. • "What Is Mountaintop Removal?" Appalachian Voices. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/mtr/what_is_mtr/>.

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