Saving the Mountains
Saving the Mountains
Christina Samples
Kaplan University
Final Project
College Composition II
Professor Mark Kusnir
Table of Contents:
I. Essay II. References III. Formal Letter IV. Reflective Piece V. Powerpoint Presentation ( see additional File)
Oh the green rolling hills of Appalachia, spanning from New York to Alabama, mountainous and majestic and yet they are plagued with destruction. Destruction brought on from mountaintop removal mining. Because mountaintop removal mining has damaged or destroyed approximately 1,200 miles of streams, destroyed forests on some 300 square miles of land, disrupted drinking water supplies, flooded communities, and destroyed wildlife habitats, citizens should educate themselves on the issues and tell elected officials to regulate or ban the process entirely (Clark, S., 2008)
First thing is first, education; what is coal exactly? Where does it come from? How is it obtained? What is it used for?
Coal is a fossil fuel formed from remnants of plants that had lived and died millions of years ago. Coal is called a nonrenewable energy source because it takes millions of years to form. Coal is found in seams of mountains sometimes 500-800 feet below the topsoil.
Native Americans used coal long before the first settlers arrived in the New World. European settlers discovered coal in North America during the first half of the 1600s but used it very little at first. By the time of the American Civil War, people also used coal to make iron and steel. And by the end of the 1800s, people began using coal to make electricity. Today, coal provides one-fifth (21.3 percent) of America’s energy needs. Almost half of our electricity comes from coal fired plants (NEED, 2011)
There are two methods to mine coal: surface mining and underground mining. Deep or underground mining is used when the coal is buried deep within the Earth and must be dug out
Christina Samples
Kaplan University
Final Project
College Composition II
Professor Mark Kusnir
Table of Contents:
I. Essay II. References III. Formal Letter IV. Reflective Piece V. Powerpoint Presentation ( see additional File)
Oh the green rolling hills of Appalachia, spanning from New York to Alabama, mountainous and majestic and yet they are plagued with destruction. Destruction brought on from mountaintop removal mining. Because mountaintop removal mining has damaged or destroyed approximately 1,200 miles of streams, destroyed forests on some 300 square miles of land, disrupted drinking water supplies, flooded communities, and destroyed wildlife habitats, citizens should educate themselves on the issues and tell elected officials to regulate or ban the process entirely (Clark, S., 2008)
First thing is first, education; what is coal exactly? Where does it come from? How is it obtained? What is it used for?
Coal is a fossil fuel formed from remnants of plants that had lived and died millions of years ago. Coal is called a nonrenewable energy source because it takes millions of years to form. Coal is found in seams of mountains sometimes 500-800 feet below the topsoil.
Native Americans used coal long before the first settlers arrived in the New World. European settlers discovered coal in North America during the first half of the 1600s but used it very little at first. By the time of the American Civil War, people also used coal to make iron and steel. And by the end of the 1800s, people began using coal to make electricity. Today, coal provides one-fifth (21.3 percent) of America’s energy needs. Almost half of our electricity comes from coal fired plants (NEED, 2011)
There are two methods to mine coal: surface mining and underground mining. Deep or underground mining is used when the coal is buried deep within the Earth and must be dug out
References: Appalachian Regional Commission. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http:// www.arc.gov/appalachian_region/TheAppalachianRegion.asp Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clark, Sara (2008). Defenders of Appalachia: The campaign to eliminate mountaintop removal coal mining and the role of public. The Regents of the University of California Ecology Law Quarterly, 35. Ilovemountains.org. Retrieved July 3, 2013, from ilovemountains.org Maag, C Need organization, (2012,). Coal. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/IntInfo/CoalI.pdf President Obama,