There’s Coal In Them There Hills
Now what is the easiest way to get to the coal in the Appalachian Mountains or any mountains? Why blasting the tops off of the mountains, of course. Mountaintop removal mining (MTR) is a practice that is going on right now. By blasting the tops of mountains, it practically eliminates the need for traditional coal miners. Then there is the decision of what to do with the fill that is left over. There is a law that prohibits fill from being dumped within 100ft of streams and rivers. The Bush administration is working to change the law to exempt MTR from this law. Essentially this would contaminate the waterways and who knows what else. Many waterways are even totally buried.
So far, over 470 mountain tops have been totally blasted and removed. Some sites say that by 2012, more land will be mined by MTR than the entire state of Delaware. This is destroying the forests and habitats of countless species. Maybe there should be a site called MTRisBS.com
Thanks for ranting on my blog Jason. Maybe if enough of us rant, the coal industrialists will stop their plunder. . .
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com
‘It’s All About Green Psychology’
[...] According to Plenty Magazine (which is a great mag, btw), Google Earth is teaming up with ILoveMountains.org to fight mountaintop removal mining (MTR). If you’re interested in learning more about MTR, I posted about this atrocity back in November. [...]
[...] Alberta Tar Sands reminds me very much of MTR - Mountaintop Removal Mining. The illustrious Boreal Forest is being clear cut and turned into a disgusting strip mine. [...]