Effects of Strip Mining on the Appalachian Environment Essay

Coal mining, in particular, strip mining has become the latest casualty of the growing green movement in the United States. What is strip mining? Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online defines strip mining as the removal of vegetation, soil, and rock above a layer of coal, followed by the removal of the coal itself (â€Å"strip†). Most Americans don’t realize the impact this material of biological origin that can be used as a source of energy (â€Å"fossil†), or fossil fuel, has on their everyday lives or the nation’s economy. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the mining industry directly employs some fifty thousand Americans with nearly half that number working in the more specific field of strip mining, or mountain top removal†¦show more content†¦Deforestation’s accompaniment is erosion. Since much of strip mined land lacks proper restoration, weather causes further loss of soil and vital nutrients needed for nativ e vegetation to grow. â€Å"Mountain Top Mining and Valley Fills Report† published by the EPA cites KA Harper and others educated and conducting studies in the fields of biology, environmental studies, and renewable sources. According to Harper, the change in mineral content of land affected by surface mining prohibits growth of indigenous plant life and allows foreign plant life to invade, changing the areas ecosystem (Harper). Water contamination is the next major concern of environmental groups. The Environmental Protection Agency, the governmental regulatory agency created in 1970 to manage the enforcement of environmental policy, states its concerns in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2009 (United). Specifically addressing mines in West Virginia and Kentucky, the EPA expressed serious concerns over water pollution from strip mining (â€Å"EPA†). The rupture of an ash dike at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Roan e County, TN on December 22, 2008 granted credibility to the EPA’s concerns. In an article published by in Environmental Health Perspectives, Rhitu Chatterjee comments on the poisonous substances contained in ash produced from processing coal, listingShow MoreRelatedEnergy Vs. Beauty in Coal Mining Essay1533 Words   |  7 Pages(Holzman). Mountain top removal is the process of blasting the top of a mountain away to retrieve coal from inside the mountain. The effects of mountain top removal may not be visible at first sight, although they are clearly taking effect with no hesitation. Although mountain top removal does give a percentage of our country its energy, it also maltreats the environment, wildlife, human health (Community Impacts of Mountain Top Removal). The innovation of electricity and energy helped spark the needRead MoreESPM 50AC Final Paper1366 Words   |  6 Pages000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains stretching from southern New York to northern Mississippi. It is home to more than 25 million people. Appalachia Mountains are rich in natural resources, containing an abundant number of coal, timber, oil, gas, and water (Daugneaux 1981). These natural resources have historically influenced the economic characteristics of the region. The regions economy has been highly dependent on mining, forestry, agriculture, chemical industriesRead MoreThe Appalachian Mountains : A Vast Cultural And Geographical Region3478 Words   |  14 PagesIntroduction Appalachia is a vast cultural and geographical region â€Å"that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. It includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.†4 The distinctive Appalachian culture is a result of the blend of unique backgrounds -Native American (primarily Cherokee), CelticRead MoreEssay on Mountaintop Mining and Environmental and Energy Policy1872 Words   |  8 Pages Mountaintop mining has been practiced in the United States since the 1960s, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains. The process involves removing all tress from the site, then the topsoil, and then using explosives to remove the remaining soil and rock to reveal coal. The coal is removed and processed, and then the mountaintop is â€Å"reclaimed† with soil or an appropriate substitute, and sometimes replanted.6 While mountaintop mining in the Appalachians is only a small percentage of coal producedRead MoreMountaintop Mining : The Natural Beauty And Biodiversity Of The Appalachian Environment2940 Words   |  12 Pagescheap energy, mining companies have turned to a practice called mountaintop removal mining, or simply mountaintop mining. Mountaintop mining is a form of surface mining that involves removing the tops and sides of a summit in order to more quickly and efficiently remove underlying coal deposits. Although this kind of mining is cheaper than traditional subsurfac e methods, its social and environmental costs are steep, making it a major source of contention in both the Central Appalachian region and AmericaRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Looks At The Coal History Of Her Hometown West Virginia Essay1815 Words   |  8 Pagescountry even thought they live in an area that is environmentally diverse and full of natural resources such as coal, timber and agriculture. The author of the book looks at the coal history of her hometown West Virginia and examines the impact of mining and mountain top removal has had on the region. Appalachia’s poverty rate is twice as high as any other region in United States. The regions are primarily country and the people are largely white with majority of the locals having roots that haveRead MoreThe Mountains Of Central Appalachia1996 Words   |  8 Pagesmight be in jeopardy of losing. Surface mining began to replace traditional underground mining around WWII (Bozzi 116). Rather than digging into the mountain to extract the coal, strip mining involves removing the overlying soil and rock that covers the coal deposits (Lutz 1). It seemed appealing at first because the previous known dangers of black-lung disease and cave-ins were now limited with the surface mining method (Bozzi 116). However, surface mining came with it’s own problems, a lot of themRead MoreThe Copper Basin1616 Words   |  7 Pagesthat is climatically unique with a rich history rooted in copper mining. It is thought that man is responsible for the total destruction of the environment over this large area, but it is mostly contributed to the exclusive location. The Copper Basin was susceptible to negative environmental effects due to its topographical, geological, climatic, edaphic, and meteorological location. However, the copper mining had a transformative effect on the surrounding land s that of which are still recovering. TheRead MoreAgriculture and Wiley Essay2357 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿ Week 4 worksheet ENV/100 August 16, 2013 Tiffany Alvarez Week 4 worksheet How do minerals affect society? Minerals can affect society in many ways for example; Surface mining destroys vegetation across large areas, increasing erosion. Open-pit mining uses huge quantities of water. Acid mine drainage is pollution caused when dissolved toxic materials wash from mines into nearby lakes and streams. Minerals is approximately 80 percent of mined ore consists of impurities that becomeRead MoreFive Historical Events Influenced by the Depletion of Resources3742 Words   |  15 Pagesthey might have used natural pieces of flotsam like feathers, shells and pumice.Because plastics are created from chemicals that are volatile in different environments, they will break down over long periods of time in the oceans through photo degradation, or exposure to the sun. Studies have found the spread of plastic pieces in our environment has intruded into our oceans at an alarmingly rate. The latest study estimates the amount of particles of microplastic(pieces of plastic smaller than 5