Pro-MTR blog post

Mountaintop removal is one of the most controversial forms of coal mining and both sides are arguable. The following are reasons why mountaintop removal can be seen positively.

This method of coal mining creates local jobs for those who live near a mountaintop removal site. Sites are typically found in some of the poorest states in the US, such as West Virginia and Kentucky; the placement of these mines gives residents a chance at employment, employing approximately 1,500 West Virginians as of 2001.

Many environmentalists argue that mountaintop removal permanently damages the land where sites once were. Contrary to that argument, once companies have completed work at a site and it is then deemed unusable to them, they reclaim the land. Reclamation is the process of restoring the land as much as possible by reshaping the mountains, planting trees and other flora, and creating a stable environment for the wildlife. Below is a photo of a former mountaintop removal site that has been reclaimed.

Mountaintop removal is a significant source of energy in the US. Half of the electricity in the US is powered by coal in general. Mountaintop removal contributes to that, and without this method of mining, the statistic would drop significantly. Mountaintop removal is crucial when it comes to producing energy in the US. The following photo shows the abundance of coal mountaintop removal produces.

Mountaintop removal is often much safer than underground mining. When mining underground, miners risk collapses, explosions, deadly gas leaks, and other hazards that miners are unable to escape when trapped underground. Surface mining completely avoids the risk of workers becoming trapped and a larger area makes mistakes less deadly. Safety is better regulated on mountaintop removal sites.

Anti-MTR Blog Post

Mountaintop removal is an extremely controversial topic and can be argued from both sides. However, the opposition seems to be much stronger than those who favor this form of mining and for good reasons.

It is often said that mountaintop removal provides a better job opportunity for miners. However, this is a common misconception. Surface mining utilizes more machinery than manpower, and it takes less workers to power a machine (like the one shown below) than underground mining methods.

Another myth is that surface mining is safer than underground mining. However, this is completely false. Mountaintop removal causes more health problems than any other method of harvesting energy. This includes deaths from on-site blasts to remove mountain surfaces to reach coal seams and the cause of asthma  cancer, and black lung disease from coal dust.

This form of mining causes extreme habitat destruction for the flora and fauna native to the mining site. Peregrine falcons and eastern cougars, both endangered species, are known to live in the areas most effected by mountaintop removal. The method of mining strips away the entire surface of a mountain, thus removing habitats for species.

There are multiple reports of property damages due to coal dust and blasts from mountaintop removal sites. The explosions and hazardous health conditions decrease the quality of life in the surrounding communities, thus lowering the property value. Residents are often unable to move to a better environment because the property is unwanted and often damaged.

Mountaintop removal only accounts for less than four percent of coal production in the US. It is proven that it is ineffective and that underground mining and alternative energy sources produce more energy with less negative effects.

Coal companies often overlook the fact that coal is damaging to the environment. The burning of coal releases a mixture of gases, including nitrogen oxide and arsenic, that pollutes the environment and contributes to climate change. There are green alternatives, such as nuclear power and wind power, that are cheaper and less damaging to the earth's atmosphere.

Surface coal mining

Strip mining

Strip mining is a method used when coal is near the surface or when the surface is too unstable to mine under. As the mining progresses, the overburden is placed in previous mining cavities.

Contour mining

Contour mining follows the contour of a hill, leaving terraces in the mountainside.

Mountaintop removal

Mountaintop removal removes the tops of hills to access horizontal coal seams. Overburden is pushed to areas between high elevations and the original contour is not restored. This is the most controversial method of coal mining.

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Underground Coal Mining

Drift mining

 Drift mining is a method of mining where coal seams intersect the surface; the mine enters the seam at a horizontal direction following the coal.

Shaft mining

Shaft mining is one of the most common methods of mining. Elevators provide access to the mines that are deep underground. Most shaft mines in West Virginia are 1000+ feet below the surface.

Room & Pillar mining

Room and pillar mining is a less effective method of mining coal. Half the coal is left behind to create pillars that support the mine roof; pillars can squeeze, thus putting pressure on other pillars and causing the roof to collapse. Roof falls are a constant danger in these mines.

Continuous mining

Continuous mining utilizes machines with drift and room and pillar mines. One miner can operate a continuous machine with a rotating steel drum with tungsten carbide teeth to mine five feet of coal per minute. This method has been used since 1940 and is often combined with a conveyor system.

Longwall mining

Longwall mining is highly efficient. Machines support the roof of the mine with hydraulics as it is mined. Once the coal is removed, the machine retreats, allowing the roof to call behind it. This method mines more coal than the room and pillar method.

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Coal Formation

Coal was formed during the Pennsylvania period in West Virginia. Coal is the remains of swamp plants approximately 300-400 years old. Dead plants are buried in swamp and lack oxygen; this causes the plants to form peat instead of rotting. Sediment covered and compressed the peat. Peat is the precursor to coal, which then becomes lignite, or brown coal, often used to generate electric power. Lignite forms bituminous/black coal, which becomes anthracite coal, also known as hard coal. This then becomes coke, a coal product. The key factors in this process are the lack of oxygen and compression.

Surface Temperature Graph Analysis

According to information collected throughout November and December, surface temperatures are directly affected by aerosol optical thickness and the percent transmission of sunlight coming through the aerosols. Our class recorded the temperatures of various surfaces (ex., grass, artificial turf, tennis court, asphalt, concrete, bare earth) along with the AOT and percent transmission and compiled a graph of the information. The graph tells readers that the AOT and percent transmission are inversely related, meaning that the thicker the aerosols are, the less sunlight will travel to the surfaces recorded. For example, on a particular day, the AOT was recorded as 0.2664 and the percent transmission as 77, whereas a few days later the AOT was recorded as 1.6054 and the percent transmission as 20. This trend was consistent throughout the two months the information was collected. The AOT sets up a chain reaction for the surface temperatures: the more aerosols in the air, the less sunlight will reach the earth. The less sunlight reaching the earth, the lower the surface temperatures. Sunlight warms the earth, so it is obvious that the percent transmission and surface temperatures directly correlate.

Aerosols and Global Warming

The current information known about aerosols can be somewhat conflicting depending on what sources the information is from. According to articles we read in class, aerosols have tremendous potential-- they reflect the sun's energy and prevent it from reaching earth's surface, which could be helpful or harmful, depending on how we choose to improve the current situation of our atmosphere which is currently being destroyed by global warming. Global warming is caused by the sun's heat getting trapped within our atmosphere by materials with a high rate of absorption. Aerosols have a high rate of albedo, meaning that when the sun's energy reaches a layer of aerosols, they will primarily bounce off, back into space and away from earth's surface. If global warming continues negatively, this will be helpful in cooling the earth's surface. If we are to ever reverse the trend of global warming, aerosols could drop surface temperatures too far. However, this seems to be an impossible goal in the current shape of the global warming situation, so it is less likely to happen. In that case, aerosols could offset the effects of global warming by reflecting the sun's energy away from the surface and decreasing the trapping of heat in our atmosphere.