Coal Country
by Beth Gray
I recently watched a documentary entitled Coal Country that provides a telling look into the modern coal mining industry. Produced in 2009 and focusing on mountain top removal mining, the film explores the process itself, the benefits in the process for the mining industry, and the cost of using such methods for those who live near such mining sites. The film’s producers juxtapose serene images of Appalachian mountaintops brimming with diverse flora and fauna against the aftermath of such mining operations. Few would watch the film and argue that it provides a thoroughly balanced view.
Some 20 percent of the world’s coal is found in the United States and despite the dangers associated with retrieving it and the non-renewable nature of this resource, coal has remained a major source for energy in the United States. Coal accounts for approximately 22 percent of total energy consumption in the United States. There are two main techniques used for mining coal, underground mining and surface mining. Underground mining is considerably more dangerous for the coal miner than surface mining due to wall collapses, mine flooding, and health-related dangers including “black lung.” Mountain top removal mining is a method of surface mining and Coal Country focuses its attention on this technique as opposed to underground mining.
For mining companies, mountain top removal mining is a highly cost-effective means of retrieving coal but does have many drawbacks. The name of the process describes it: mining companies essentially dynamite the tops off of mountains and scrape out the coal that is located underneath. In underground mining operations, as much as 60 percent of the coal in the mountain is left behind as pillars to support the mine itself. In early April, the nation experienced the tragic loss of 29 miners when a West Virginia mine blast occurred. Disasters like that one are the tragic reminder of how dangerous underground mining operations can be. Considering the dangers associated with underground mining, one must question whether surface mining techniques, including mountain top removal mining, are more desirable. Of course, the risks to miners are significantly decreased in surface mining operations but as Coal Country points out there are still significantly negative elements that must be considered.
According to the documentary, mountain top removal mining has two specific and serious negative impacts: removal of mountains impacts the landscape and native species of the area and the blasting that sends coal dust into the air has negative health consequences for those living near such mining operations. Coal Country provides footage of town hall meetings in various communities in which citizens display jugs of black water taken from streams near their homes or even from the water sources within their homes. Citizens interviewed in the documentary show lists of neighbors and family members who have died from various forms of cancer which they contend are a direct result of the coal mining operations near their homes. They take the cameras outside to show the viewers the coal dust settled on their windowsills and vehicles, making the point that this harmful dust is breathed in by the citizens of the area.
Several West Virginians who are interviewed in the film contend that it is no accident that not only is West Virginia one of the poorest states in the nation, the counties in West Virginia where coal mining remains the main industry are the poorest in the state. One citizen points out that in areas of West Virginia where tourism triumphs over mining, the citizens have a considerably higher quality of life and standard of living than their counterparts in mining counties. She argues that mountain top removal mining techniques destroy the visual appeal of the landscape, kills native wildlife, and leaves little appeal for tourists wishing to camp, fish, and enjoy the once beautiful landscapes of the area.
In West Virginia, the adage “Coal is King” lives on, but the growing outcry against the negative impacts of coal mining is gaining strength. As already mentioned, Coal Country offers a largely one-sided view of the issue of mountain top removal mining but is worth watching. I encourage those who do take the time to see the documentary to conduct other research to gain a balanced view of the issue. Without question, there are tremendous negative impacts to such mining operations but one is also left with the lingering questions posed by the pro-coal rally displayed briefly in the film: Without coal, how do citizens make a living in one of the nation’s poorest state? Without coal mining, what will power their homes? Is the nation as a whole prepared to make the financially costly jump from getting some 20 percent of our energy from coal to getting 100 percent of it from renewable, safer sources?
Tags: black lung, coal, Coal Country, mine blast, mountain top removal, underground mining, West Virginia
