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Mario Tama / Getty Images
An explosive is detonated at an A & G Coal Corporation surface mining operation in the Appalachian Mountains on April 16, in Wise County, Va. Critics refer to this type of mining as 'mountaintop removal mining' which has destroyed 500 mountain peaks and at least 1,200 miles of streams while leading to increased flooding. The Appalachians are some of the oldest mountains on Earth.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
An explosive is detonated at an A & G Coal Corporation surface mining operation in the Appalachian Mountains on April 16, in Wise County, Va.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
A & G Coal Corporation surface mining operations continue in the mist in the Appalachian Mountains on April 18, in Wise County, Va.
These frames reminded me of a 2009 piece by Yale Environment 360 and MediaStorm entitled Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining.
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Wise County? in the Mountain State? Soon they'll have to change the name of the state to Mesa State and I guess anyone can figure out what "Wise" County should be renamed to. It has been OUR choice to destroy these mountains, streams, forests, and human health. It is OUR choice to allow the destruction of these irreplaceable treasures. We can sit back and turn on the TV and turn up the heat or we can do something about replacing coal with clean non-fossil energy.
Actually, West Virginia is "the Mountain State" - this is in Virginia. However, I agree, this needs to stop. and it also happens in West Virginia.
AS it creeps ever forth into my neck of the woods . . . .
Between this and the loss of the 4th and 8th Amendments, time to dust off my passport -
Bye, bye. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
This is wrong, wrong, wrong!!! Why isn't anyone stopping this? So confused on how humans allow destruction of our beautiful country!! Sad, so sad...so sorry for those who live around there!
Somewhere around 42% of America's electricity comes from coal. In Kentucky, more than 90% of the electricity is produced from coal-fired powerplants. Many people who complain about coal mining don't realize that they also support mining by using the products that come from it (e.g. steel, electricity, etc.). We all have our own little strip mine out there. Just something to think about everytime you turn on a light switch, tv, computer, or open the 'fridge.
"why isn't anyone stopping this?"
Why aren't YOU stopping this! Everyone should look at these pictures and say to themselves, "why didn't I do something to stop this?" Every time you vote consider the candidate's stand on the environment, on energy and then compare them with where their campaign contributions come from and then look at their voting records. This isn't about jobs, or who is considered middle-class anymore people. This is about the future of our country...our children's lives and quality of life...and about our planet. If you don't like what corporations are doing in this country with all of our laws and regulations to preserve the environment...just think about what they are doing in other parts of the world that are not so able to take care of themselves. And we can no longer say that what happens in Asia or Africa doesn't matter to those of us who live in America...pollution and environmental destruction affects all of us not matter where we live.
And no....I am not a radical liberal environmentalist nor am I a TEApartier...I am an ordinary American who loves their country. Laws in this country are being changed to benefit corporations and the rich, fat cats and their political croynies...the laws are not being changed to protect the citizens of this country. Is this "class warfare" that the political parties are ranting about? I don't know...but it feels like someone is being taken advantage of and it isn't the so called 1 percenters.
This is so amazing! Our ability to extract coal and minerals to heat family homes and manufacture all sorts of life-improving products! It's so wonderful mankind can benefit from hard-working middle-class people to exert dominion over the earth and its resources. Americans are awesome for their ability to achieve such unparalleled productivity and engineering.
Unless, of course, you subscribe to the leftylibdem dogma of Mother Earth as deity and people as usurpers. Then you'll rush ignorantly to the conclusion that mining and coal are "bad" while hypocritically enjoying the fruits of their labor. You don't really matter that much, actually, but it would be nice if you put your lips together so your neighbors could enjoy some peace.
Wow, and no mention of the excessive contamination of the rivers throughout the region!! Good reporting MSNBC!! Way to ignore all the birth defects, cancer deaths, and other destruction because of this mining activity.
Google "The Last Mountain" documentary
how is this wrong, the federal government has reviewed all plans granted the rights to mine the coal, the company is working within the rules and is under constant inspection, again how or what is wrong
Just because it is allowed does not make it right. Look at the results . Rivers and streams mentioned only in a couple words and everything needs water clean water. Big money buys buy's lot of say in with in the gov. Strip mining was ok when I was a boy . Destroyed a lot of country and it 30-40 years to get people to raise their voice and bring change. Where is the top soil to allow things to grow back. I do not have time to continue. Your question seems honest that is why I replied
Are you stupid or just blinded by greed?
People please get off your high horses. If you disagree with this type of energy then show them by refusing to use any electricity at for the next 219 days. That is the amount of energy this nation including you uses being generated by coal. Feel free to use candles and burning wood to heat, light and cook your food. Its not like they create pollution either. Tallow from cows that produce methane for candles, wood that is renewable but puts pollutants in the air making it hard for people with respiratory issues to breathe. Before you judge what they are doing you should go down and drive on the highways that have been created linking towns by knocking down mountains. There is more earth being moved all over this country than a few mountains. All for your ability to complain on your computers in your fabricated housing using coal for electricity.
Nobody is disagreeing with this type of energy. There is disagreement with their mining practices. There are mining methods that don't harm the environment but mining companies have cut around this with help from our government, in the name of profits. That's the issue here, it's not mining.
Or everyone should call Paul Ryan and tell him that instead of including subsidies for oil and coal in his wonderful budget...that the people of this country support subsidies for clean energy instead.
refreshing to see that the environmental nazis did'nt stop this one!
There are better ways to mine coal without causing excessive harm to the environment. If you knew what actually is going on, you'd see that mining companies are cutting huge corners with help from their buddies in D.C. Educate yourself, youtube "The Last Mountain" to know what local residents are going through.
OK. So what other way is there to get something out of the earth without mining or drilling? Pray for it to come out all by itself?
You can mine coal without blasting away entire mountaintops into the rivers below. It just costs a little more. I'd love to see price of coal reflect the true environmental harm it causes; if that were the case I think we'd have a lot more natural gas power generation, which is cleaner and more flexible.
How about similar pictures of those ugly Windmills and Solar Plants and planned Solar plants that are ruining our Countrysides...How about pictures of all the dead birds at the base of the Windmills before they clean up the daily Kill...Nothing uglier than that Solar Plant off of Hwy 395 in California or the Solar Array Observatory north of the Solar Plant...These are easily the same kind of eyesores as these mining areas...It is just the way the Media presents the story that makes the difference...
Gee I remember National Geographic did a big multi page spread on these Mines a few years ago with accompanying photos of how the Mine Operators rebuilt, replanted and reseeded the the areas they mined....Gee. I wonder how come the Journalists who created this propaganda piece did not include those pictures into their story....I am just totally befuddled as to the reason....
And, How come NONE of the so called Environmental Groups are challenging the wood fired power plants in Texas which are releasing as understand, more pollutants into the atmosphere than the Coal plants did, and are allowed too get away with because "Wood is a Renewable Resource"....
I convinced the EPA and all these Environmental Groups and brown nosing Journalists are just a bunch of frauds working on taking the money away from others to put in their pockets under the guise of "caring for the environment". Sort of like the waste of money the Department of Energy is who existence was to wean us off of foreign Oil....what a joke....we are being majorly scammed in my opinion.
And I see the Lemmings are out in full force today spreading disinformation or their usual B.S. with nothing to back their statement up with...they disgust me...
The wonderful results of an active geology that God put forth on this Earth to benefit mankind. By having different parts of the Earth move, these mountains were created making it easier to get to the natural resources inside that God has provided. Coal is simply stored solar energy. Plants use CO2 and the sun to grow. The plant material builds up, gets buried and is compressed into coal. Natural gas and oil are also natural materials that man has been able to use to produce cheap, abundant and reliable energy so that we can keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It helps us grow more food and has helped us have modern medical care. Where would medical care be without modern plastics?
Copper for electricity, iron for steel, aluminum for planes, etc.
If people want wind turbines, battery powered cars, solar cells then mining is necessary. You can't get the minerals needing to these items without mining.
Typical biased reporting.