Mountaintop Removal Mining - A Shocking Situation
People who have flown over areas of the United States where entire mountains are being blown up to extract coal say that if everyone saw it firsthand there would be an uproar like you've never heard before. So, why don't we hear more about this travesty?
Creative Commons Photo: rachelmolenda on Flickr
Actress Ashley Judd Speaks About Flying over Appalachia
470 Mountains Gone
What is Mountaintop Removal Mining?
West Virginia and Kentucky are two states most affected and they just happen to be two of the poorest. According to the Sierra Club, "Kentucky's 5th Congressional District ranks 435th out of 435 in physical and emotional health. It's poverty rate is twice the national average. And it happens to contain all of Kentucky's 14 active mountaintop removal coal mines."* It is up to all of us to learn more and act to put an end to this practice.
* Sierra Magazine Nov/Dec 2009
What Would Moses Climb?
by West Virginian Todd Burge
DID YOU KNOW...
* More explosives are used every week in the extraction of coal in Appalachia, than were used in the first gulf war, and the Afghanistan war combined?
* Close to 2.8 billion gallons of toxic sludge, produced by "cleaning" coal before burning it, lies behind an earthen dam just a few hundred yards upstream of an elementary school in West Virginia?
* Over 1000 miles of streams have been buried and 500 square miles of mountains supporting one of the world's most bio diverse temperate forests have been destroyed by Mountain-Top Removal coal mining in West Virginia alone.
* According to the West Virginia Coal Association, a little over 50 years ago, over 100,000 miners were employed in West Virginia, In 2003, that number was fewer than 15,000. Meanwhile, far more coal is being mined.
Coal River Mountain Watch - West Virginia
See For Yourself
Larry Gibson - a true American Hero
Kayford Mountain is his home
- Keeper of the Mountains Foundation
- Keeper of the Mountains Foundation is a project of the phenomenal Larry Gibson, whose family has lived on or near Kayford Mountain, near Charleston, West Virginia since the late 1700's. Larry's family was surrounded by mountain peaks, however, since 1986, the destruction of Kayford Mountain has been non-stop. There are no mountain peaks surrounding Larry and his family now - just a wasteland. Larry has worked tirelessly for 18 years to bring attention to this travesty, on behalf of his ancestors and community.
This foundation seeks to send Larry around the country to speak on behalf of ending mountaintop removal.
Hear Larry Speak
Flyover with Google Earth
See the effects
of mountaintop removal
right on your computer!
Google Earth Tutorial
Are You Connected to Mountaintop Removal?
At the website I Love Mountains, you can enter your zip code and see how you are connected to mountaintop removal mining. Most people use at least some electricity which has been sourced from mountaintop removal coal mining. This could easily be replaced by renewable energy sources.When I entered my zip code, it reported "You are connected to mountaintop removal. Your electricity provider, IPALCO - Indianapolis Power Light Co. purchases coal from companies engaged in mountaintop removal mining. Of the Appalachian communities featured on this site, the one most closely connected to this power plant is Rawl, West Virginia." The map above outlines my connection.
Here's my favorite link:
What Can You Do?
3 Organizations You Should Know About
- Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Program
- The Sierra Club wants us to move beyond the use of coal and stop mountaintop removal mining. The latest blog entry from Bruce Niles begins, "We learned with sadness this week that blasting has begun on Coal River Mountain in West Virginia, site of a long battle between Massey Energy and local residents who want the mountain to be a site for 200 wind turbines instead of mountaintop removal coal mining."
- Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining by Earthjustice
- Earthjustice works through the courts and legislation. In Congress, two proposed bills could curtail mountaintop removal mining by banning certain activities related to this destructive mining practice. The Clean Water Protection Act, a bill in the House of Representatives, would put tighter restrictions on dumping pollution into Appalachian streams by overturning the dangerous fill rule. Led by Representatives Frank Pallone and David Reichert with more than 100 other cosponsors, the Clean Water Protection Act would restore Clean Water Act protections.
- I Love Mountains
- Local, state, and regional organizations across Appalachia are working together to end mountaintop removal and create a prosperous future for the region. Through iLoveMountains.org, members of the Alliance for Appalachia have come together to use cutting edge technology to inform and involve Americans in their efforts to save mountain and communities.
Coal River Emergency Alert
Click on this link to take action or call the number above. I Love Mountains - Coal River
What are they saying on Twitter?
about mountaintop removal
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- ThePowerXChange
- 81 year-Old on Hunger Strike to Fight Mountaintop Removal http://tinyurl.com/yz64jft
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- nan_fischer
- End of Big Coal? Stopping Mountaintop Removal and Coal-Fired Power Plants http://ow.ly/HGQ9
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- abbfrj0g66
- Ending Mountaintop Removal Mining is AlterNet's Top Take Action... http://tinyurl.com/yf8lpmw
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- brandenb
- Mountaintop removal opponent starts hunger strike at Capitol http://bit.ly/7cyKwu #stopmtr #stopcoal
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- thegoodhuman
- RT @jgensler: Mountaintop Removal is a Senseless Sacrifice: http://bit.ly/5nK14K #MTR #HKS
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- jgensler
- Mountaintop Removal is a Senseless Sacrifice: http://bit.ly/5nK14K #MTR #HKS
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- robsmithiii
- WV Mountaintop removal faster arrested. http://tinyurl.com/ycla4ln
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- sandyjo55
- Please help end mountaintop removal coal mining! http://www.ilovemountains.org
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- Greytdog
- RT @welovemountains: Ronald Micklem beginning a fast at the WV State Capital to mourn mountaintop removal.. http://bit.ly/8rRouz
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- sandyjo55
- RT @welovemountains: Ronald Micklem beginning a fast at the WV State Capital to mourn mountaintop removal..he also just recently... http ...
What are they saying on the blogs?
about mountaintop removal coal mining
- Mountaintop Mining Splits KY Dems - Hotline On Call
- Keep an eye on this one: KY AG Jack Conway (D) and LG Dan Mongiardo (D) will fight over their differing positions on mountaintop mining, and it could prove a major sticking point in their already-bitter primary. ...
- Obama Admin. Strikes Back Against Mountaintop Mining
- The Obama Administration Takes Unprecedented Steps to Reduce Environmental Impacts of Mountaintop Coal Mining.
- 11-23-09: The Pros and Cons of Mountaintop Mining « Maryland ...
- But that's enough to give it a stake in the debate over Appalachian mountaintop mining. Activists say removing the tops of mountains results in severe environmental degradation; proponents say the process creates jobs and spurs economic ...
- Marching Against Mountaintop Mining « Maryland Morning with ...
- A few hours after we aired yesterday's story about mountaintop mining, we got a note about a happening called ?Constellation to Copenhagen: a Climate Justice Spectacular?. Here's a description from the press release: ?On Monday Nov. ...
Support the Clean Water Protection Act
You can Take Action Today! Sign a petition to protect waters from being filled with waste from mountaintop removal mining.
Watch this DVD "Coal Country"
Invite your friends to watch it with you.
Coal Country
Buy the DVD
Coal Country
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Read more about Mountaintop Removal Mining
with Amazon Books
Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal Mining
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Bringing Down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal on Southern West Virginia Communities
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Plundering Appalachia: The Tragedy of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
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Missing Mountains: We went to the mountaintop but it wasn't there
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Something's Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal
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Donate to Earthjustice
Cracking down on mountaintop removal
With respect to mountaintop removal mining, they represent Coal River Mountain Watch, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and West Virgina Highlands Conservancy. Your donation will help them to provide these needed services.
Environmental law defender Earthjustice, the top American ecological law firm, because the earth needs a good lawyer. Formerly Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
Thank You for Reading my Page
Your thoughtful and constructive feedback is welcomed.
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Reply
- ChapelHillFiddler ChapelHillFiddler Nov 30, 2009 @ 7:26 am
- I've driven through parts of Kentucky and seen this, so tragic. I've featured this on my fan-club thank-you lens so - thank you!
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Reply
- LaraineRose LaraineRose Nov 18, 2009 @ 10:55 pm
- Kim, we have the same problems here in the Okanagan Valley in Canada. Not for coal, but for gravel. Our beautiful valley is being ruined because of greed. They are not satisfied by gravel pits in out-of-the way places any more. More and more are being dug near residential areas and beside our beautiful lakes. We need a strong voice here also. 5*s for this inspirational lens.
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Reply
- Laniann Laniann Nov 16, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
- The damage that is being done is awful. Thank you for bring this to our attention.
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Reply
- a_willow a_willow Nov 16, 2009 @ 8:56 am
- This is great topic to write about and get people pay attention! Blessed by an Angel!
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Reply
- 24websurf 24websurf Nov 14, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
- Like most people I was unaware of this until now. After inputting my zip code and finding I am connected to a possible 11 companies involved, I feel a little sick. Thank you for bringing awareness to this issue. ~ Blessed by a Squid Angel ~
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About the Author
Lensmaster kimmanleyort has been a member since April 7 2009, has rated 1,048 lenses, favorited 580, and has created 70 lenses from scratch. Kim Ort donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "Pumpkin Parfait, Anyone?". See all my lenses
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