Why is mountaintop removal a problem?
This destructive practice, known as mountaintop-removal mining, sends carcinogenic toxins like silica into the air, affecting communities for miles around. It also destroys beautiful, biodiverse forests and wildlife habitat, increases the risk of flooding, and wipes out entire communities.
Is mountaintop removal banned?
The Obama administration, after studying the issue for eight years and receiving 94,000 public comments, adopted the Stream Protection Rule on December 20, 2016. The rule disappointed environmental activists because it did not ban mountaintop removal.
What are the health effects of mountaintop removal?
Since 2007, peer-reviewed studies by researchers from more than a dozen universities have concluded that mountaintop removal coal mining contributes to significantly higher rates of birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases among individuals living in the region where it occurs.
Who has the authority to halt mountaintop removal?
More than 200 congressional allies supported the effort over the years, but it was ultimately unsuccessful due to industry lobbying. The president and federal agencies also have the ability to halt mountaintop removal mining through strict mine permits and strong federal rules.
Does mining destroy mountains?
Tragically, mountaintop removal mining has already destroyed more than 500 mountains encompassing more than 1 million acres of Central and Southern Appalachia. …
Is mountaintop mining still legal?
Mountaintop mining is regulated under several laws, including the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA).
What can be done to stop mountaintop removal?
Top 3 Ways to Rid U.S. Need for Mountaintop Removal Coal
- 1 Be Energy Efficient. One answer is that opportunities for energy efficiency in the US are huge.
- 2 Invest in Renewable Energy.
- 3 Stop Exporting Coal.
Why do mining companies practice mountaintop removal mining?
As the name suggests, it literally removes up to 800 feet off the tops of mountains to try to reach coal seams that are not accessible by other mining techniques because the terrain is too steep or the veins are too thin.
Why is restoration hard after mountaintop removal?
Why might restoration be hard after mountaintop removal? mountains form over long periods of time and therefore can’t be replaced in short amounts of time.
Is mountaintop removal the same as strip mining?
Mountaintop removal mining devastates the landscape, turning areas that should be lush with forests and wildlife into barren moonscapes. Mountaintop removal coal mining, often described as “strip mining on steroids,” is an extremely destructive form of mining that is devastating Appalachia.