Central Appalachia’s Black Diamond Pollution
Coal and its effects on the environment are a clear impactor of the landscape and the lifestyle of parts of Appalachia. Specifically, in Central Appalachian places like West Virginia, Western Kentucky, and Northeast Tennessee. The coal industry plays a large part in the way of life of the region, such as the rate of employment and the demand of the resource. Because of its influence and its drawbacks, is a commonly debated topic, especially within the local politics of the area and the politics of the United States, as the environment faces harsh consequences of the coal industry’s continuation.
Because of these factors, I decided to raise the question of “What kind of effect does coal pollution have on Central Appalachia from 2008 to 2018?”. I wanted to research this question because I live close to Central Appalachia in both Blacksburg, Virginia, and Roanoke, Virginia. Therefore, the history of the coal mines has been part of the common curriculum within my public education career and has always been a concern. Also, with modern Americans being more aware of pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change, protection of the Earth and its natural resources has become an increasingly hot topic. With my major being political science, I am keen to pay attention to local politics, which means I see a lot of political advertisements involving the eradication of coal for the sake of the environment’s protection, or advocacy to keep coal mines running in order to provide jobs, income, and better economic conditions for citizens, local businesses, and towns. Therefore, I wanted to become more informed on the topic, as I feel it would benefit me in the future when discussing politics of a region so that I may be able to make more educated opinions on the matter.
The impact that the research question of “What kind of effect does coal pollution have on Central Appalachia from 2008 to 2018?”, could impact the way that most coal business in Central Appalachia has been consistently performing, as the results that I have found through extensive research could alter the current methods into methods that are more responsible toward the safety of the forests and streams that greatly populate Central Appalachia’s environment. The research done based on the question could inspire those who are uninformed or uninspired about the safety of the environment could become informed and gain a desire to seek out environmental protection and advocacy, meaning that more could be done in terms of action in local government, and local politics. The impact that the question has had on myself has been significant, as the research that I have done and the results that I have found from these sources have allowed me to become more educated on the matter of how coal impacts the environment of Appalachia and able to form a better opinion about how the procedures of coal mining should change for a more environmentally friendly future, or if coal mining should proceed to happen in the area at all. Now, when I watch political advertisements during local election seasons, I will know the true effects of coal mining and be able to vote toward a more pro-environment candidate despite the advertisements on how coal brings jobs to the citizens and business to the area.
My methods for conducting research for this project have consisted of a multitude of areas pursued. I looked at scholarly articles, most of which are extensive research studies that involve the pollution of Appalachia, online news articles concerning coal mining and its happenings within the area of Central Appalachia, and I have also looked at local political ads within the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia within the past ten years to see how political standpoints have developed over this time frame and see how and if it has changed. I have also used these scholarly articles in order to compare the statistics of both and to find any differences between the two.
Voss, Kristofor A., and Emily S. Bernhardt. “Effects of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining on the Diversity and Secondary Productivity of Appalachian Rivers.” Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 62, no. 4, 23 Mar. 2017, pp. 1754–1770., doi:10.1002/lno.10531
First, coal mining has commonly had a poor effect on the environment of Central Appalachia with it polluting the water around where mines are created. The source states that coal mining contributes greatly to the alteration of the chemical regime and reduces the diversity of sensitive taxa in downstream aquatic ecosystems (Voss). This means that coal mining can have a lasting negative effect on the areas around it, thus changing the ecosystem for the worse. This article states that multiple living organisms suffer in aquatic ecosystems; as taxa is plural for taxon, meaning several populations of organisms, meaning that multiple ecosystems could be ruptured by the effects of coal mining. The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography elaborate on this statement by claiming that coal pollution can disrupt the reproduction of these specified taxa, possibly ending the cycle of their creation and doing increasingly harmful things to the local ecosystems (Voss). Specifically, since streams continuously run throughout the United States and the areas around Appalachia, the damaging effects of coal could be spread to other watersheds and ecosystems throughout the country, thus doing even more harm. This research was taken from Mud River, West Virginia, between the years 2012 and 2013, giving a clear indication of the recent effects that coal mining has in the middle parts of Appalachia.
Bernhardt, Emily S, et al. “How Many Mountains Can We Mine? Assessing the Regional Degradation of Central Appalachian Rivers by Surface Coal Mining.” Environmental Science & Technology, 12 July 2012, pp. 8115–8122., doi:10.1021/es301144q.
Another source about the state of the water around coal mines explains that Central Appalachia has the highest rates of earth movement in the United States, and that coal mines produce a large amount of waste rock that releases sulfuric acid into the water due to the pyrite minerals within coal (Bernhardt). It also states that they are 95% confident that streams attached to coal mines and draining catchments will be biologically hindered (Bernhardt). From the research and results, it seems that if action is not taken in the near future to prevent these actions from further harming the environment, the conditions will only become worse, if not irreparable. The methods and results from this study center around the area of Southern West Virginia, covering a large portion of mining sites that were established in the area, garnering a large amount of information. Even though the study was published in 2012, the study was concerned with surface mining that occurred from 1976 to 2005, covering a 19,581 km2 area of southern West Virginia, and connecting these maps with water quality and biological data for 223 streams, giving it a wide range of information about the area being studied (Bernhardt).
Hendryx, Michael, and Benjamin Holland. “Unintended Consequences of the Clean Air Act: Mortality Rates in Appalachian Coal Mining Communities.” Environmental Science & Policy, vol. 63, Sept. 2016, pp. 1–6., doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2016.04.021.
Not only does coal affect the physical environment of Central Appalachia, it also contributes to the pollution of the lives of people, affecting their health very poorly. The journal article explains that substances within coal mines contribute to deadly conditions like black lung and lung cancer, along with a lack of education in the area regarding environmental safety and tobacco use (Hendryx). This study was conducted within Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia during 2016. Other parts of this study analyze the true effect that the Clean Air Act; enacted in 1990, actually had on Appalachian counties, and how counties in Appalachia that are known as ‘Mountain-Top Removing’ coincide with the data results. The act was put into effect in hopes of reducing acid rain and other substances that were caused from power plants burning coal and to prevent polluting the area further. The results show that counties that are Mountain-Top Removing have higher and consistent mortality rates after the enactment of the Clean Air Act than other Appalachian counties and non-Appalachian counties, while other non-Mountain-Top Removing counties in Appalachia, and counties that are not in Appalachia or are Mountain-Top Removing both show a steady decline in the mortality rate between the years of 1990 to 2014 (Hendryx). The results also display that after the Clean Air Act, mortality rates remained similar from 1990 to 2014 in Mountain-Top Removing counties (Hendryx).
Bell, Shannon Elizabeth, and Yvonne A. Braun. “Coal, Identity, and the Gendering of Environmental Justice Activism in Central Appalachia.” Gender & Society, vol. 24, no. 6, Dec. 2010, pp. 794–813., doi:10.1177/0891243210387277.
The poor conditions that coal mining provides to average working-class citizens has given them the opportunity to speak out against what is being done against them. However, the dreadful conditions have not seemed to be enough for some males within the coal mining business. According to the journal article, masculine identities and traditions in Appalachia have limited the ability for men to participate in environmental justice programs and have made it so that there are significantly less men involved in environmental protection advocacy, referring to this masculine identity as the ‘Culture of Silence’ (Bell). The journal also states that there is tradition behind coal mining that limits workers from choosing against something that has been a part of their lives for as long as they have lived, making it more difficult to want to enact change. Also, not only are their personal limits against speaking out against coal, there tends to be peer pressure within their society as to not lose their status in the community and to not become outsiders (Bell). On the other hand, women do not have these societal limits due to their lack of direct involvement with the coal industry (Bell).
American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. “Clean Coal Ad.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 Oct. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmVDu_gIpc4.
There are arguments for keeping coal in Appalachian society despite the environmental setbacks that it causes. Some of these arguments include keeping a steady source of jobs, having a source of business and income, using American-only natural resources for fuel instead of foreign fuel, and the commonly used phrase; “coal keeps the lights on”. According to an advertisement by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, they argue that coal is the most commonly found natural fuel in the United States and can help ensure that the country has a consistent fuel source for the future. The most important point that the advertisement makes is that coal provides 50% of the nation’s energy in a cheaper way than other methods (American Coalition). Because of the history of coal pollution and the evidence that has come up in recent years on the harm that coal does to the environment, advocacy groups and political parties have been forced to defend their reasoning toward the practice of coal mining. This is why there has been an increase in political ads and support for the maintaining of coal in recent years within the areas of West Virginia, East Kentucky, and Western Virginia.
Merica, Dan. “Trump Dramatically Changes US Approach to Climate Change.” CNN, Cable News Network, 29 Mar. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/politics/trump-climate-change-executive-order/index.html.
In the past two years, President Donald Trump made it his mission to bring back coal jobs and resume the practice of coal mining, stating that he wants to end the “War on Coal”; meaning the lack of coal trade that has occurred due to environmental regulations. In the past two years Trump enacted an executive order that rescinded the moratorium on coal mining that was set forth by former President Barack Obama for increasing environmental protection (Merica). This means that coal pollution has impacted Central Appalachia by forcing some elected officials to temporarily shut down their mining operations, thus limiting the amount of mining jobs in the area. Trump’s executive order was enacted in hopes of restoring jobs in West Virginia, a place where he heavily campaigned in 2016 and garnered support with his support of coal mining and promises of expanding the coal industry (Merica). This leads one to believe that environmental conditions will only get worse in the coming years due to the lack of supervision over the coal industries that will occur, for President Trump seems to be the type to want businesses to do what they want without government interference.
Clouse, Carol J. “Green Energy in a Coal State: the Struggle to Bring Solar Jobs to West Virginia.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 19 Mar. 2017, www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/mar/19/solar-power-industry-jobs-market-coal-west-virginia.
With a look toward the future, some parts of Appalachia hope to become less reliant on the coal industry and hope to find more avenues to create clean energy and resurrect the fading employment market. With regulations and the environmental effects surrounding coal mining, it does not seem like coal remain a viable source of energy and a career for local citizens. Because of this, citizens are attempting to bring forth solar energy jobs to create sustainability for a beneficial result (Clouse). However, there are obstacles in the way such as the fact that West Virginia lacks solar-friendly regulations and the financial resources to make it happen. Without the damage that the coal industry has created, states like West Virginia would not need to resort to creating solar energy, as it is uncommon to hear about these issues in eastern parts of the United States where coal is not as common, and the environment is more protected.
Photos:
Donald Trump at a rally in Charleston, West Virginia. Supporters are happy that he supports coal and the coal industry.
A solar energy farm in Shepherdstown, WV. This farm was created by Dan Conant, who returned to West Virginia after living elsewhere to help establish clean energy in the area.
Evidence of coal polluting a local water stream in Minden, WV.
Wind turbine farm located in West Virginia.
Effects of coal and dust on the lungs of miners.
One of the many faces of the fight against Mountaintop Removal, Maria Gunnoe. Known for her activism and her appearance in the documentary ‘The Last Mountain’.
Bibliography:
American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. “Clean Coal Ad.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 Oct. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmVDu_gIpc4.
Bell, Shannon Elizabeth, and Yvonne A. Braun. “Coal, Identity, and the Gendering of Environmental Justice Activism in Central Appalachia.” Gender & Society, vol. 24, no. 6, Dec. 2010, pp. 794–813., doi:10.1177/0891243210387277.
Bernhardt, Emily S, et al. “How Many Mountains Can We Mine? Assessing the Regional Degradation of Central Appalachian Rivers by Surface Coal Mining.” Environmental Science & Technology, 12 July 2012, pp. 8115–8122., doi:10.1021/es301144q.
Clouse, Carol J. “Green Energy in a Coal State: the Struggle to Bring Solar Jobs to West Virginia.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 19 Mar. 2017, www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/mar/19/solar-power-industry-jobs-market-coal-west-virginia.
Hendryx, Michael, and Benjamin Holland. “Unintended Consequences of the Clean Air Act: Mortality Rates in Appalachian Coal Mining Communities.” Environmental Science & Policy, vol. 63, Sept. 2016, pp. 1–6., doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2016.04.021.
Merica, Dan. “Trump Dramatically Changes US Approach to Climate Change.” CNN, Cable News Network, 29 Mar. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/politics/trump-climate-change-executive-order/index.html.
Voss, Kristofor A., and Emily S. Bernhardt. “Effects of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining on the Diversity and Secondary Productivity of Appalachian Rivers.” Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 62, no. 4, 23 Mar. 2017, pp. 1754–1770., doi:10.1002/lno.10531
