Mountaintop removal mining can devastate the environment.
Mountaintop mining is a technique that coal mining companies use to extract coal from the top of extremely steep mountains. This technique is used by mining companies because it's extremely cost effective. However, mountaintop mining has devastating effects on the environment that often cannot be reversed.
Steps
The first step involved in mountaintop mining is removing any layers of rock and dirt found above the targeted coal deposit. These layers are called the overburden. The second step involves removing the uppermost layers of coal that were uncovered by removing the overburden. Extra rock and debris are placed in a valley next to the mountaintop that contains the coal deposit. The third step involves removing lower layers of the coal deposit with draglines. Extra debris from this step is placed in large debris piles. The fourth step involves more coal excavation, but now the coal company puts the removed debris back in its original location. This is called regrading. The fifth step involves revegetating the land by planting trees and other plants. Revegetating helps reduce some of the negative environmental effects of mountaintop mining.
Geography
Most mountaintop mining operations in the United States are in eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, southern West Virginia and western Virginia, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Most coal deposits in these states are located in the top 1,000 feet of mountains. This makes the coal deposits difficult to remove with traditional mining techniques.
History
Mountaintop mining began in the 1970s in Appalachia as an addition to traditional strip-mining techniques, according to The I Love Mountains website. Coal companies use mountaintop mining because it helps them recover a higher percentage of coal while reducing the number of workers they need to complete jobs. The coal production in Appalachia increased from 95 million tons to 181 million tons from 1977 to 1998 mainly because of the shift to mountaintop removal mining, according to Bryn Mawr College.
Environmental Effects
The environmental effects of mountaintop mining are drastic because the process involves clearing entire forests from mountaintops and dumping debris into streams, according to the Wired website. Between 1985 and 2001, more than 1,200 miles of streams were destroyed in Appalachia along with 7 percent of its forests, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act placed restrictions on mountaintop mining to prevent companies from dumping toxic debris and pollution into streams near the mountains they're excavating.
Tags: mountaintop mining, step involves, coal deposit, coal deposits, effects mountaintop, effects mountaintop mining, environmental effects
