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MOUNTAINTOP MINING |
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September 7, 2007
In August, 2007, The Office of Surface Mining in the Interior Department issued a draft revision to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The Act governs the practice of "mountaintop mining" which is cheaper, and safter, than underground mining, and accounts for an increasing share of the coal mined in the United States.
In the mountaintop process the top of the mountain or the "overburden" is broken up and removed by blasting in order to reach coal seams. Once the rock surrounding the coal is blasted off, in what is known in the industry as "shoot and shove," the excess rock and earth is dumped over the side of the mountain into the valleys below, often burying the streams that run through them. This dumping is primarily where residents and environmentalists have come into conflict with recent rule changes. (View a detailed description of the process.)
In late 2006, MOYERS ON AMERICA: IS GOD GREEN? reported on some Evangelical Christians who were turning to their faith to fight the effects of mountaintop mining on their communities. Judy Bonds, West Virginia resident and member of Christians for the Mountains queried:
There are three million pounds of explosives used a day just in West Virginia to blow the tops off these mountains. Three million pounds a day...To knock fly rock everywhere, to send silica and coal dust and rock dust and fly rock in our homes. I wonder which one of these mountains do you think God will come down here and blow up? Which one of these hollers do you think Jesus would store waste in? That's a simple question. That's all you have to ask.
Critics contend that the new rule change is another step in an effort to undercut the environmental safeguards of the act, the landmark Clean Water Act and give "mountaintop mining" interests greater and greater leeway.
Rule Changes and Comments
2002: The Environmental Protection Agency rewrote clean water regulations to add mine waste to the list of materials that can be used to fill in streams for development and other purposes.
2003: The EPA released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) assessing the environmental and social impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining. The study confirmed that mountaintop removal coal mining has affected forest areas and streams in negative ways, and identifies proposed actions that government agencies might take to minimize the adverse effects of mountaintop mining operations and excess spoil valley fills.
Despite these findings, the Bush administration called for an easing of existing environmental restrictions on this mining method. The "Preferred" Action Alternative offered in the report recommends that "The agencies would developed enhanced coordination of regulatory actions, while maintaining independent review and decision making by each agency."
2004: Rule changes go into effect which reduce the surface mining law's buffer zone rule that prohibits mining activities to disturb within 100 feet of larger streams. New guidlines require companies to respect the buffer zone "to the extent practicable."
2006: The new rule recodifies the 2004 buffer zone changes and, according to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "seems specifically to authorize the disposal of 'excess spoil fills,' a k a mine waste, in hollows and streams."
THE NEW YORK TIMES in reporting the proposed changes stated:
"The Office of Surface Mining in the Interior Department drafted the rule, which will be subject to a 60-day comment period and could be revised, although officials indicated that it was not likely to be changed substantially." On it's Web site The Office of Surface Mining posted an FAQ about the new rulings and responding directly to the TIMES, saying "This statement is not accurate."
>You can read the FAQ, and comment on the proposed rule changes here:
Coal Yesterday and Today
Coal has been a major part of the consciousness of the industrialized world for centuries — it is, after all, King Coal. Everyone can conjure up images of the smoky, smutty streets of Dickens' London. We know coal miners and their struggles from D.H. Lawrence to HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A. Millions can hum along with "Coal Miner's Daughter." Just this week Americans watched and worried over the fate of men trapped far beneath the surface in a coal mine — it is the stuff of old legends and nightmares.
But images of men with blackened faces and headlamps slowly emerging from a day in the depths is less and less the reality - though coal plays an increasing part in the U.S. and world energy scene. The percentage of the nation's coal that comes from surface mining rose to from one-third in 1950 to two-thirds in 2006, and the Department of Energy expects that number to rise. In West Virginia, surface-mined coal now accounts two thirds of the total - up from 10 percent 30 years ago. Projections by International Energy Agency and U.S. Energy Information Administration show coal's share of energy production growing. Coal production does reduce reliance of foreign oil reserves but it has some environmental consequences. And, it's not just those living downstream of mountaintop mining sites who are worried about the environmental effect. Take a look at what the Department of Energy's Children's Web site has to say:
"When coal is burned as fuel, it gives off carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas that is linked with global warming. Burning coal also produces emissions, such as sulfur, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury, that can pollute the air and water. Sulfur mixes with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide (SO2), a chemical that can affect trees and water when it combines with moisture to produce acid rain. Emissions of nitrogen oxide help create smog, and also contribute to acid rain. Mercury that is released into the air eventually settles in water. The mercury in the water can build up in fish and shellfish, and can be harmful to animals and people who eat them. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act require industries to reduce pollutants released into the air and the water."
Coal mining usually conjures up images of men with blackened faces and headlamps slowly emerging from a day in the depths. But not all coal miners live that life any more. Mining in the United States is changing — as if the life of the miner in West Virginia and nationwide. The percentage of the nation's coal that comes from surface mining rose to 65% in 2000, and the Department of Energy expects that number to rise. In West Virginia, surface-mined coal now accounts for over a third of the total — up from 10 percent 30 years ago. Mining methods are often dictated by the type and location of the coal deposit. Coal is mined either by underground tunneling or by removing or "stripping" the covering rocks, which are known as overburden. When the deposit is more than 150 feet below the surface the underground method is used.
When coal is burned as fuel, it gives off carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas that is linked with global warming. Burning coal also produces emissions, such as sulfur, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury, that can pollute the air and water. Sulfur mixes with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide (SO2), a chemical that can affect trees and water when it combines with moisture to produce acid rain. Emissions of nitrogen oxide help create smog, and also contribute to acid rain. Mercury that is released into the air eventually settles in water. The mercury in the water can build up in fish and shellfish, and can be harmful to animals and people who eat them. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act require industries to reduce pollutants released into the air and the water.
UNDERGROUND MINING
Bell Pit: The name of this early underground method comes from the shape of the excavation, with a narrow vertical shaft sunk into the coal or iron ore seam, which was then opened out into a small chamber. Little timber was used, so once the roof became unsafe, the pit was abandoned and another shaft sunk nearby. Coal was cut by using picks and shovels.
Room-and-Pillar Mining: Entails the excavation of a series of "rooms" into the coalbed, leaving "pillars" or columns of coal to help support the mine roof. The coal is broken up by explosives, loaded onto a vehicle by a mechanized loading machine.
Longwall Mining: This method is popular because of the greater safety and efficiency it affords. In this method, a rotating shear on the mining machine shaves from blocks or panels of coal in a back-and-forth motion, similar to that of a meat slicer, and dumps the broken coal onto a conveyor belt that extends across the longwall. As the mining machine advances, the roof behind it caves in.
SURFACE MINING
Surface, or open pit: This mining of coal is done where the overburden is relatively shallow. Large earth-moving equipment, draglines , or shovels are used to remove the fractured overburden from the coal. The coal is then typically broken up by blasting it with explosives. The coal is loaded into special haulage trucks.
Mountaintop removal mining: This method is a variant of surface mining. In order to reach coal seams the top of the mountain or the "overburden" is broken up and removed by blasting. Once the rock surrounding the coal is blasted off, in what is known in the industry as "shoot and shove," the excess rock and earth is dumped over the side of the mountain into the valleys below, often burying the streams that run through them.
Evangelicals and Environment
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MOYERS ON AMERICA: IS GOD GREEN? Inside the debate among Conservative Evangelical Christians over handling of the environment.
The Earth Conservation Corps (ECC), a group of young adults from urban DC, works to reclaim a dying neighborhood by providing leadership tools to disadvantaged youth while cleaning up the environment.
Coverage of the Mountaintop Mining Rules
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/8/21/11552/5722
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/us/23coal.html?ex=1345521600&en=3d104859e0d4fa55&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
"Appalachia Is Paying Price for White House Rule Change"
Joby Warrick's August 2004 series for THE WASHINGTON POST on the changes wrought by the 2002 fill rule. The series includes a map of West Virginia mountaintop mining sites and a detailed description of the process.
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/08/bush-administra.html
http://www.wesjones.com/death.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20411822/
http://www.osmre.gov/
http://www.christiansforthemountains.org/
Appalachian Voices: Mountaintop Removal
A non-profit, environmental organization, Appalachian Voices' Web site provides information on the impact of Mountaintop coal mining practices on the environment and the community. Other features include a photo gallery of Mountaintop removal sites and a scholarly essay on mountaintop removal practices in the Appalachian Mountains. Related links are also included.
Arch Coal, Inc.
Arch Coal, Inc. is the nation's second largest coal producer and uses mountaintop mining methods in West Virginia. Its Web site supplies information on the company, the coal industry, and the company's financial situation for investors.
CHARLESTON GAZETTE - Mountaintop Mining Series
Since early 1998, THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE and SUNDAY GAZETTE-MAIL have provided comprehensive coverage of the mountaintop mining controversy.
A series of investigative articles by reporter Ken Ward Jr. from 1998 to date are collected here. They document the mining process, the legal challenges to mountaintop mining, the West Virginia mining industry and mountaintop mining's effect on those who live below. Editorials by Dan Radmacher have called for reforms in mountaintop mining practices.
Earth Justice
Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the environment by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws. Earthjustice is currently endorsing legislation to stop the Bush Administration's revision of the Clean Water Act in the interest of mountaintop removal practices, calling it "both wrong and illegal."
Massey Energy Company
A low-cost producer of Appalachian coal, Massey Energy Company's Web site features detailed information about the company's operations, coal sales, industry issues, and investor relations.
Mountaintop Mining Alert Fact Sheet
From the United Mine Workers of America, this 1999 alert informs mine workers of the recent decision of a West Virginia judge that effectively banned mountaintop mining rather than merely regulating the practice.
Mountaintop Mining Site
This Web site from the Pennsylvanian EPA provides a brief history of the Mountaintop mining site in Rush Township, Centre County. Another feature is a labeled diagram of a Mountaintop mining site.
National Mining Association
The NMA's Web site provides the latest news and information on the mining industry, its technology, relevant statistics, and key legislative and regulatory policies.
OVEC - Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
OVEC is an environmental group focusing on Mountaintop removal / valley fill strip mining, coal waste impoundments, energy policy, coal-fired power plant pollution, and a host of other coal-related issues in the Ohio Valley area. The site contains news archives, photos, and background information about mining and the environment.
OVEC - Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
OVEC is an environmental group focusing on Mountaintop removal / valley fill strip mining, coal waste impoundments, energy policy, coal-fired power plant pollution, and a host of other coal-related issues in the Ohio Valley area. The site contains news archives, photos, and background information about mining and the environment.
South Wings
"A non-profit, conservation minded aviation," South Wings documents ecological damage from the sky. One of the many harmful environmental practices documented by South Wings is Mountaintop mining.
This is Mining
From the U.S. Bureau of Mines, this publication details the various mining methods for extracting mineral wealth from the U.S. subsoil.
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice is the Washington D.C.-based public interest law firm that filed the first case challenging the legality of mountaintop removal mining on behalf of ten coalfield residents. They argued that the dumping of the debris into the valleys below was destroying streams, in violation of federal mining laws and the Clean Water Act. Through the Freedom of Information Act they have obtained an Environmental Protection Agency multimedia presentation which was prepared for a March 5, 2002, briefing on mountaintop removal mining Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), to senior agency officials from the EPA Office of Water, Office of Federal Activities and the Office of the General Counsel. You can download the presentation from the site. http://www.tlpj.org/In_news_detail.htm#Environment
West Virginia Coal Association (WVCA)
A non-profit trade association, WVCA's Web site provides information on the coal industry and associated publications.
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