Is the ruthless mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia necessary to meet the U.S. demands for fossil fuels?
West Virginia is a universal symbol of coal mining. What may surprise some, is the destruction of the mountainous landscape for the betterment of the coal industry. Mountain top removal mining is sadistic in the sense that it is inflicting harm upon the environment and human beings, and people continue to do so. I would like to ask if the ruthless mountain top removal mining in West Virginia is necessary to meet the U.S.’s demands for fossil fuels? One must consider the effects of mountain top mining, trends pertaining to the market, and politics thereof.
Mountain top mining leaves behind a concoction of chemical wastes that seep into streams and landowners’ water supplies. Records show numerous residents filing claims against the coal companies for injecting the coal slurries into underground mine shafts (Appalachian Voices 1). Additionally, the targeted mountains are stripped of vegetation so as to put the nearby towns in risk of possible flash floods (Appalachian Voices 1). If another disaster resembling the notorious Buffalo Creek Flood occurred, it would endanger thousands in West Virginia. Surely, this method of mining is efficient, but does the U.S. need to use mountaintop removal mining to obtain its coal. It is important to consider whether purely underground mining would suffice the needs of the nation.
Based on data obtained from Reuters, U.S. coal consumption is predicted to decline to 469 million metric tons by 2022 (Chestney 1). This may be due to the rise of alternative energy sources. The U.S. appears to be weaning off fossil fuels very slowly, but surely. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is largely dependent on coal and would gladly exploit West Virginian mountains. So, even if the U.S. demand for coal decreased, the trends demonstrate that the demand for coal in countries like China and India would continue to increase (Chestney 1). If there is a demand for coal elsewhere, the mountaintop removal industry may continue to exist and focus on the exportation of coal.
There are strong political views concerning the topic. In fact, the industry indirectly increases health care expenses of those in the region because of the affected air and water quality (Turman part 1). These hidden costs associated with coal form the argument that alternative energy can compete with the price of fossil fuels. The coal industry costs the U.S. nearly $350 billion annually because of production, transportation, processing, healthcare, pollution cleanup, etc. (Turman part 1). West Virginia is paying a lump some of money to cleanup the messes made from projects pertaining to mountain top removal. It almost doesn’t make sense to use fossil fuels with the lump sum of associated costs.
In many parts of West Virginia, people believe that the after effects of mountain top removal is of gods’ doing. This is beautifully portrayed in Appalachian books like “Strange as this Weather has Been”, by Anne Pancake. Some folks say that the flash floods are god’s way of punishing the towns for hurting the mountains and the land. Some just want to protect nature and the world that they live in. Mountaintop removal has been present in West Virginia for some time now. It is difficult to say whether this method of obtaining coal is necessary to meet current coal demands, considering the damage it has done to people and the environment.
Works Cited:
Strobo, Randala A. “The Shape of Appalachia to Come: Coal in a Transitional Economy.” Duke Forum for Law & Social Change (DFLSC), vol. 4, Jan. 2012, pp.91–114. EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=94364578&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Thompson, Andrew R. H. “Overturning Mountains.” Sacred Mountains, 2015, pp. 1–16., doi:10.5810/kentucky/9780813165998.003.0001.
Turman, Jinny. “Religion and Resistance in Appalachia: Faith and the Fight Against Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining by Joseph D. Witt.” Journal of Southern History, vol. 84, no. 1, 2018, pp. 232–233., doi:10.1353/soh.2018.0071.
Chestney, Nina. “Growth in Global Coal Demand Subdued over next Five Years: IEA.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 18 Dec. 2017, www.reuters.com/article/us-coal-iea/growth-in-global-coal-demand-subdued-over-next-five-years-iea-idUSKBN1EC0PP.
Arena, JenAlyse. “U.S. Energy Information Administration — EIA — Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Factors Affecting Gasoline Prices — Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy — Energy Information Administration, 2015, www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=21952.
“Community Impacts of Mountaintop Removal > Appalachian Voices.” Appalachian Voices, appvoices.org/end-mountaintop-removal/community/.
