Washington Post Editorial Board Damns Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

In light of a new study finding that particulates kicked up by mountaintop removal (MTR) are connected to the lung cancer epidemic in the regions where this form of coal mining is rampant, the Washington Post's editorial board added up all the evidence and came out with a powerful editorial damning the practice for its health and its environmental impacts.
"For decades, coal companies have been removing mountain peaks to haul away coal lying just underneath," said the paper. "More recently, scientists and regulators have been developing a clearer understanding of the environmental consequences. They aren’t pretty."
MTR, which involves blowing the tops of mountains or using massive earth movers to remove them to extract the coal inside them, has grown in popularity in the last several decades since it allows the mining of coal seams that otherwise would not have been cost-effective to mine and it requires fewer workers than underground coal mining. It's become a big business, particularly in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky where the process became common in the 1990s.
"The technique made it economical for them to extract more coal from troublesome seams in the rock, which might be too small for traditional mining or lodged in unstable formations," said the Post. "Environmentalists were appalled, but the practice spread and now accounts for more than 40 percent of West Virginia coal production."
Not only environmentalists but surrounding communities were appalled for good reason. MTR leaves behind ravaged landscapes, with forests stripped bare and debris dumped in streams and valleys. The Post also connects MTR with a loss of biodiversity in the mined regions, referring to a study released this summer by the U.S. Geological Survey that compared streams in MTR areas with those farther away, finding changes in stream chemistry and decimated fish populations."
"Mountaintop mining affects chemical, physical and hydrological properties of receiving streams, but the long-term consequences for fish-assemblage structure and function are poorly understood," the study said. "Exposure assemblages had fewer species, lower abundances and less biomass than reference assemblages across years and seasons."
The Post editorial doesn't stop at blasting MTR for its impact on health, the landscape and biodiversity. It goes on to connect the burning of the extracted coal with climate change, saying, "It produces both planet-warming carbon dioxide and deadly conventional air pollutants."
Responding to the Washington Post editorial, Thom Kay of Appalachian Voices said, "We’re glad one of the largest newspapers in the country is paying attention, even when many policymakers are not. The editorial does, however, give a bit too much credit to the Obama administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their actions to reduce the environmental and human toll of mountaintop removal. Actions have been taken, certainly, but mountaintop removal is still happening in Appalachia."
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Mountaintop Removal Linked to Cancer
Big Coal Tries to Control Global Energy Debate
President-elect Joe Biden is planning to cancel the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on the first day of his administration, a document reported by CBC on Sunday suggests.
- Construction Begins on Keystone XL Pipeline in Montana - EcoWatch ›
- Trump Approves Keystone XL Pipeline, Groups Vow 'The Fight Is ... ›
- Keystone XL Pipeline Construction to Forge Ahead During ... ›
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
California is bracing for rare January wildfires this week amid damaging Santa Ana winds coupled with unusually hot and dry winter weather.
- Bond Fire South of LA Forces 25,000 to Flee - EcoWatch ›
- 'Explosive' Southern California Lake Fire Spreads to 10,000 Acres ... ›
- 10 Wildfires Ignite Around Los Angeles in Unseasonable Wind and ... ›
Trending
By Jennifer Sass, Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Dr. Philip J. Landrigan and Simon Strong
"Prevention is the cure for child/teen cancer." This is the welcoming statement on a website called 'TheReasonsWhy.Us', where families affected by childhood cancers can sign up for a landmark new study into the potential environmental causes.
Climate Crisis Will Shift Tropical Rain Belt and Create Food Insecurity for Billions, Study Finds
Nearly 1.6 million people in the southern part of Madagascar have faced food insecurity since 2016, experiencing one drought after another, the United Nations World Food Program reported.
- Half a Degree of Warming Makes a Big Difference to Global Food ... ›
- UN Warns of Impending Food Crisis - EcoWatch ›
- Global Hunger Is Increasing, New UN Report Finds - EcoWatch ›
By Monir Ghaedi
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep most of Europe on pause, the EU aims for a breakthrough in its space program. The continent is seeking more than just a self-sufficient space industry competitive with China and the U.S.; the industry must also fit into the European Green Deal.
European satellites continue to provide data on climate change.