Opposing mountaintop removal

"Reclaimed" mining site

     Mountaintop removal is a mining method that creates hazardous living conditions and is often executed poorly. In mountaintop removal, the tops of mountains are blasted off and the overburden is placed in surrounding valleys. Mining then extracts the coal from the surface, before attempting to restore the original contour of the mountain. This reclamation (1) is often done poorly and creates large expanses of unusable land, often even repelling the natural wildlife. When executed, reclamation also (2) does not provide the variety of habitats or fauna that the original landscape provides.Even when reclamation is executed properly, overburden placed in surrounding areas (3) contaminate water sources, such as streams, that often provide the only water source to surrounding towns.

Mountaintop removal site

     Mountaintop removal also (4) eliminates jobs. Fewer miners are used because of mechanization and the easy access to the seam of coal. It also harms the nearby communities. Nearby communities are subject to (5) air and (6) noise pollution associated with the production of coal and blasting, respectively, and the health hazards it provides. They are also subject to an (7) increased chance of dangerous and unpredictable accidents, such as rock falls that may be caused by blasting.

Blasting site

     While there are some benefits to mountaintop removal, the negative consequences are far too great to be ignored. For more information, visit: http://ilovemountains.org/