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by Jeremiah
Mountaintop removal hinders future economic development. Those that claim MTR enhances our economy by providing flattened land in the Mountain State need to check the stats. Per the AP, only 7% of surface mined land in WV and 1.8% of land in KY have some type of economic development. Now, let's be serious about even those percentages listed. That includes land designated for pasture land, forest, and other shameful statistical padding.
You hear all this talk about airports, schools and shopping malls being built on reclaimed MTR sites but that represents a fraction of the moonscapes left by MTR. Calculate all the negative economic impacts of MTR like waterways polluted by selenium and heavy metals, enhanced risk of catastrophic floods, the damaging impacts of blasting, and the expedited removal of coal that may have otherwise been mined via other more labor intensive methods and you will see that MTR is more of an economic shackle than savior.
There will be folks that point out a golf course, school, or park smattered about in the devastated mountain landscapes but that represents just a fraction of the total acreage where this extreme mining practice machetes West Virginia mountains. Most of these locations, once mined out, are just ruined moonscapes, void of what made it God's wonderful creation.
Any time you speak up on this issue you hear the catcalls about being anti coal or some other nonsensical statement. Just for the record- I recognize the importance of coal and certainly respect and support the coal miner, being one of many West Virginians that have had coal miners throughout my family tree. There is a middle ground on coal extraction, a balance between socioenvironmental stewardship and industry, but mountaintop removal represents an extreme that WV should move beyond.
Taking it a step further, I think it would be reasonable to hear out proposals that allow for scaled back surface mining if there were a post mining plan that had real economic development included (no more of this pasture land bs). I'd even be open to some forms of well regulated surface mining. I am not, however, open to the extreme position that we should allow our beautiful state to be exploited and forever scarred for short term economic kickbacks, especially when the vast majority of the wealth leaves West Virginia.
Talking with folks all over the State, I think most people this moderate view of coal and coal mining. Most people want to strike a balance between energy/industry and socioenvironmental needs. Major state policymakers just don't seem to want to take the industry on to make something like this happen. We need a leader to stand up and take the case to the public. It is our coal and we will mine it our way. Here is to Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Here is the article in the Gazette:
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coa... |
