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Mountain Top Removal

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Mountain Top Removal
Mountaintop Removal: Critical fuel source or environmental antagonists? Mountaintop Removal mining is a very controversial environmental issue with many pros and cons on both sides of the argument. I have found three different articles with three contrasting views in the sense that they are from different geographic regions. The three articles are from the St. Petersburg Times, The Washington Times, and The Guardian, which are located in Florida, Maryland, and London, respectively. Despite the varying locations, the three articles shared many similarities in their articles. Mountaintop removal is a procedure in mining that involves using high power explosives for the removal of the top of a mountain to expose the valuable coal seams below. It differs from traditional underground mining in the sense that it is not underground. This technique of mining is safer for the workers because it results in a smaller rate of death compared to traditional mining. It also is more economical for big mining companies to practice surface mining, which can put out about 2.5 times more coal per worker than traditional techniques. So what is the big deal with mountaintop removal? It is safer and cost less than underground mining. The procedure of mountaintop removal is the catch. The same procedure that is safer for workers and more cost effective for companies has disastrous consequences for the environment. “Controversy over the practice stems from the extreme topological, ecological and hydrological changes that the mining site and surrounding areas undergo, as well as from the storage of the toxic waste material generated from the mining and processing of the coal”, according to www.sourcewatch.org. So mountaintop removal poisons nearby rivers with industrial runoff, clogs the air for nearby cities and towns, and the decrease in vegetation on the mountaintop results in increased runoff which causes floods for residents downhill from the mine. The St. Petersburg Times


Cited: 1. http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/ (Robert Trigaux, Coal Confrontation, St. Petersburg Times, pg. 6B, April 21, 2009) 2. http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/ (James E. Person Jr., Mountain Top Removal Must End, The Washington Times, M32, May 3, 2009) 3. http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/ (Mark Tran, Mark Tran reports from Pigeonroost Hollow on fight to halt mountaintop removal work by mining companies, The Guardian, pg. 22, August 14, 1998)
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