An explosive is poured into these holes and mountaintops are literally blown apart. 2050 (Rep. Yarmuth ) bill. VF and AMD are the leading causes of water chemistry and habitat alterations in this region, the driving factors limiting mayfly populations. The practice has destructive consequences on the trees of the mountain, as well as the streams. Mountaintop removal refers to a type of mining that removes the summit of a mountain by using explosives to expose the coal seams underneath it, making it vastly different from the traditional mining practice of manually digging a tunnel through mountains. Directed by Michael Cusack O'Connell. [20] MTR accounted for less than 5% of U.S. coal production as of 2001. Mountaintop removal also destructively pollutes the streams and valleys where people have lived for centuries in Appalachia. [56], The statement also estimates that 724 miles (1,165 km) of Appalachian streams were buried by valley fills between 1985 and 2001. [11] According to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), the topsoil is supposed to be removed and set aside for later reclamation. [54][55] Because of higher pH balances in mine-affected streams, metals such as selenium and iron hydroxide are rendered insoluble, bringing attendant chemical changes to the stream. Fish species are also threatened by mountaintop removal since mountaintop removal is the eradication of forests integral to fish survival. [44], MTR negatively impacts the environment. Explosives are used to remove up to 400 vertical feet (120 m) of mountain to expose underlying coal seams. MTR is sometimes the most cost-effective method of extracting coal. When topsoil is removed, the land is incapable of restoring native hardwood forest habitat. [66], Streams are reclaimed by regrading mine land, reconfiguring the mine drain, or building new stream channels in an effort to resemble the buried ones. Previously mined land can be reclaimed as sustainable agricultural land and solar farms. [38], On January 15, 2008, the environmental advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to end a policy that waives detailed federal Endangered Species Act reviews for new mining permits. Additionally, many personal interest stories of coalfield residents have been written, including: "Mountaintop Removal" redirects here. [42] The plan also includes near and long-term actions that highlight “specific steps, improved coordination, and greater transparency of decisions”. Since 1996, this policy has exempted many strip mines from being subject to permit-specific reviews of impact on individual endangered species. [26], Several studies of the impact of restrictions to mountaintop removal were authored in 2000 through 2005. [83][84]. On four occasions, federal courts have ruled that the US Army Corps of Engineers violated the Clean Water Act by issuing such permits. [52] Another 2011 study found "the odds for reporting cancer were twice as high in the mountaintop mining environment compared to the non mining environment in ways not explained by age, sex, smoking, occupational exposure, or family cancer history". Once the area is cleared, miners use explosives to blast away the overburden, the rock and subsoil, to expose coal seams beneath. Six authors will hold writing workshops, … [12] Any streams in a valley are buried by the overburden. Google Earth Engine and Landsat imagery report the extent of newly mined land from 1985 to 2015 to be 2,900km2. As stated in the book Bringing Down the Mountains: "Some of the main problems associated with MTR include soil depletion, sedimentation, low success rate of tree regrowth, lack of successful revegetation, displacement of native wildlife, and burial of streams. The practice has destructive consequences on the trees of the mountain, as well as the streams. Mountaintop removal mining (MTR), frequently referred to as mountaintop mining/valley fills (MTM/VF), is a type of surface mining that entails great topographic change to the summit or summit crest of a mountain. In an effort to apply specific forest restoration practices, the FRA focuses on five main reclamation components: (1) establish suitable soil deeper than four feet to enhance root growth, (2) ensure non-compacted topsoil is present, (3) plan vegetative ground cover to support tree growth (4) include tree species that support local wildlife, as well as commercially desired products, (5) ensure that proper planting techniques are utilized. [43] The Clean Water Rule “more precisely defines waters protected under the Clean Water Act”. Mountaintop Removal Mining. The surveys require approval from state and federal biologists, who provide informal guidance on how to minimize mines' potential effects to species. Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining, a video report produced by Yale Environment 360 in collaboration with MediaStorm, focuses on the environmental and social impacts of this practice and examines the long-term effects on the region’s forests and waterways. [42] The MOU and IAP outlined different administrative actions that would help decrease “the harmful environmental impacts of mountaintop mining”. Hard-hitting documentary on the effects of the radical and environmentally disastrous form of coal mining known as "Mountaintop removal." On April 9, coal-impacted community members traveled to Washington, D.C., and testified before Congress on how mountaintop removal coal mining has grievously affected their hometowns and neighboring communities. We take on many of the biggest environmental and health challenges of our time and stick with them. [9], Mountaintop removal has been practiced since the 1960s. [32] The Obama Administration, in July 2015, wrote up a draft "Stream Protection Rule". MTR reduces the freshwater resource that supports biodiversity. They also maintain that the new growth on reclaimed mountaintop mined areas is better suited to support populations of game animals.[69]. Mountaintop removal can be defined as an invasive form of coal mining in which the soil, rock and plant life of a mountain is destroyed and removed through the use of explosives in order to mine the coal seams underneath. If the ridge topography is too steep to adequately handle the amount of spoil produced then additional storage is used in a nearby valley or hollow, creating what is known as a valley fill or hollow fill. Reclaimed grassland and shrub land are unsuitable for habitat specialists in the near future. This is an important distinction because forest conditions vary from both classifications. Mayflies (Order Ephemeroptera) are abundant in streams in the Appalachian Mountain region.They are highly sensitive to water quality, as their immature forms require unpolluted water. Tour Mountaintop Removal in Google Earth. "Mountain top removal mining is not an issue of jobs v the environment. [10], Established in 1977, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act set up a program “for the regulation of surface mining activities and the reclamation of coal-mined lands”. Rivera Sun . [57] A 2012 review by Science of the Total Environment cited elevated concentrations of SO42-, HCO3-, Ca2+ and Mg2+ downstream from VF sites. Although most coal mining sites must be reclaimed to the land's pre-mining contour and use, regulatory agencies can issue waivers to allow MTR. [78], The Appalachian region has a long history characterized by poverty. [50] Declines in stream biodiversity have been linked to the level of mining disturbance in West Virginia watersheds.[51]. Since mountaintop removal began, some 500 mountaintops have been demolished, according to a study by the nonprofit Appalachian Voices. The rulemaking was an effort to better protect public waterways from mountaintop removal and other destructive coal mining practices. [76], MTR has negative effects on surface and ground water quality. [8] In some regions, however, the percentage is higher, for example, MTR provided 30% of the coal mined in West Virginia in 2006. Mountaintop Removal (MTR) is a very effective form of coal mining. Wastewater is often injected and stored underground and has the potential to contaminate other water sources. Factors contributing to disturbed stream flow include vegetation removal, subsequent aquifer formation, compaction of fill surface and overall loss of headwater streams. [29], In the United States, MTR is allowed by section 515(c)(1) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Poverty rates in MTM areas were found to be significantly higher than in non-mining areas. They collect over 100 tons of coal and debris in a single sweep. If you already have Google Earth on your computer, you can view the Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Layer without downloading anything.. [17] The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI), established in 2004, works to promote the growth of hardwood trees on reclaimed mining sites. Mountaintop removal mining, an environmentally devastating form of coal mining that involves blowing off the tops of mountains, has already leveled over 500 mountains and buried 1,200 miles of streams in the Appalachians. Purpose of Mountaintop Removal
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Why do it?
Mountaintop removal has the aim of gaining access to greater amounts of coal than in traditional ways.
Mountaintop Removal is a cheaper form of mining. [65] Consequently, biodiversity suffers in a region of the United States with numerous endemic species. [58], Headwater streams play a major role in the physicochemical quality of larger rivers and streams because of their close association to the surrounding landscape. Evidence suggests that such methods can decrease the biodiversity over time. Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment, Judge Rules Trump Administration Violated Law By Opening Public Lands to Coal Leasing, What Schoolhouse Rock Didn’t Tell You About Lawmaking, Earthjustice Endorses Legislation to Protect Families from Mountaintop Removal Mining Health Effects, Environmental Leaders Urge Biden Administration to Curb Dangerous Power Plant Pollution, 50 Organizations Call on President Biden to Protect Tongass National Forest and Carbon-rich Forests Under U.S. The ARRI operates utilizing the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA). Mountaintop mining can involve removing 500 feet or more of the summit to get at the buried seams of coal. Epa." [53], A United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) environmental impact statement finds that streams near some valley fills from mountaintop removal contain higher levels of minerals in the water and decreased aquatic biodiversity. Excess rock and soil is dumped into nearby valleys, in what are called "holler fills" ("hollow fills") or "valley fills".[1][2][3]. This comes from the fact that, in certain geologic situations, it allows people to access thin seams of coal that wouldn’t have been accessible if traditional underground mining methods were used. This type of mining is sometimes considered a variation of … [34][35] Massey Energy Company is currently appealing a 2007 ruling, but has been allowed to continue mining in the meantime because "most of the substantial harm has already occurred," according to the judge. [28], Reclamation projects designed in conjunction with community needs can aid local economic development. The cost efficiency of treatments can be increased through the use of models that are able to accurately predict ecosystem responses to various inputs; thus enabling restoration groups to determine the overall most effective treatment combination. Surface water in MTM regions has higher concentrations of arsenic, selenium, lead, magnesium, calcium, aluminum, manganese, sulfates and hydrogen sulfide from overburden. Apr 15, 2016 - This isn't about keeping mountains looking pretty. Mountain top destruction An explosive is detonated at an A Coal Corp. surface mine in the Appalachian Mountains on April 16 in Wise County, Va. [15] However, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 list "the restoration of land and water resources" as a priority. 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