From “Mountain State” to “Plain State” A Stand Against Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Focusing on West Virginia By Jackey Teets Jessica Nelson Elisabeth Schiffbauer

Mountains After Mountaintop Removal “Strip mining on steroids.”

Mountaintop removal mining destroys entire ecosystems and pollutes waterways. Transforms “some of the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world into biologically barren moonscapes.” “Coal washing often results in thousands of gallons of contaminated water that looks like black sludge and contains toxic chemicals and heavy metals.” Explosions can cause damage to home foundations and wells. “Fly rock,” more aptly named fly boulder, can rain off mountains, endangering resident’s lives and homes. Wildlife habitat is destroyed and vegetation loss often leads to floods and landslides

Sludge Marsh Fork Elementary School School Dam Sludge “Coal washing often results in thousands of gallons of contaminated water that looks like black sludge and contains toxic chemicals and heavy metals.” “The school is in lower left of photo. The clear green patch in the lower left is the football field. The tall cylindrical white object is the coal silo, less than 200 feet from the school. The zigzag is the earthen dam holding the sludge lake (2.8 billion gallons), directly above the school.”

Statistics West Virginia has 4% of the coal in the world. The U.S. has 21.1% of the coal in the world. The U.S. is responsible for 22.3% of the world’s coal- related carbon emissions. In 1950, West Virginia employed 143,000 miners. By 1997, that number was down to 22, % of West Virginia’s streams and rivers are polluted by mining and other industries. 300,000 acres of hardwood forest in West Virginia have been destroyed by mountaintop removal mining. The U.S. EPA estimates that over 700 miles of healthy streams have been completely buried by mountaintop removal and thousands more have been damaged.

More and more of West Virginia is being destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining. Many people argue that coal mining creates jobs in the state, but statistics say otherwise. So why are we defending it? “There will be no jobs, no culture, no society, and no prosperity, on a dead planet.”

“ 10,000 acres of boulder-strewn wasteland used to be Kayford Mountain, W.Va. But right in the middle of the destruction, rising like a last gasp, is a small knoll of untouched forest. Larry Gibson's family has lived on Kayford Mountain for 200 years. And most of his relatives are buried in the family cemetery, where almost every day Gibson has to clear away debris known as "fly rock" from the nearby blasting. Forty seams of coal lie beneath his 50 acres. Gibson could be a millionaire many times over, but because he refuses to sell, he has been shot at and run off his own road. One of his dogs was shot and another hanged. Someone sabotaged his solar panels. In 2000, Gibson walked out onto his porch one day to find two men dressed in camouflage, approaching with gas cans. They backed away and drove off, but not before they set fire to an empty cabin that belongs to one of Gibson's cousins. This much at least can be said for the West Virginia coal industry: it has perfected the art of intimidation.” Take a Look at This

Let’s Think Heavy mining areas are associated with higher rates of lung cancer, chronic heart disease, and mortality, but the consequences can reach beyond the immediate area because the process affects watersheds. The EPA says: "The impact of mountaintop removal on nearby communities is devastating... Mining dries up an average of 100 wells a year and contaminates water in others. In many coalfield communities, the purity and availability of drinking water are keen concerns." So…Is it worth it?

Let’s Think Coal companies are supposed to reclaim land, but all too often mine sites are left stripped and bare. Even where attempts to replant vegetation have been made, the mountain is never again returned to its healthy state. Is it right to pick the tops off of mountains, when we know the damage can never be repaired?

Let’s Think Even this infant is seeking an end to this abomination! You are never too young or too old to stand up for what you believe in. So are you brave enough to stand against mountaintop removal mining?

Possible Solutions “In mountain mining” or mining that drills directly down, versus strip mining. Other forms of energy such as wind, water, and solar energy.

Let’s Think (Again) Is this truly what we have come to? Are we going to let it stay this way? Or will we take a stand against mountaintop removal coal mining?

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