To Remove or not to Remove: An argument on Mountaintop Removal

Teah M. Spears
ENG 1020
Mr.Houp
5 March 2009
To Remove or not to Remove: An argument on Mountaintop Removal

The ground shakes at 10:28AM and again at 3:22PM every day, as if it were an alarm going off for the people in the large Appalachian hollow. The lively peoples’ lives stop and is filled with worry. The 22-wheeled coal trucks that carry the coal processed through mountaintop removal, come around the bin of the hollow, sounding and looking as if they had no mercy for the mountains, the environment, and the people. Why does the destruction MTR prosper?
Mountaintop removal (MTR) is the “newest and most efficient” mining process, according to the National Mining Association (NMA). The problem with MTR and what the NMA says is the dramatic effects it has on the environment, people, and economy, not only in the Appalachian region, but nationally; which the NMA fails to mention. I do not agree with MTR because of the physical, emotional, and mental damages it has on the Appalachian people, economy and the environment they live in.
While there are many sites, books, and articles stating the ungodly things MTR has contributed to, but the NMA had nothing but praise for its “progress” in the coal industry. Unfortunately, the “progress” that was made was a flaw in the Clean Water Act and with the Environmental Protection Agency. NMA found a loop and saw that they could destroy certain parts of the earth with waste and MTR as long as they had a good reason for doing it. They even introduced a new program to the public to show they were eco-friendly called The Clean Coal Technology Program. The coal industry was also banking on this program to their future and a major distribution to an alternative energy platform. The first phase of the research and development started in 1986 to 1993, and was a jointly funded effort by the government and the coal industry to demonstrate and commercialize new, lower cost options for controlling emissions at coal-based power plants, as well as improving power plant performance and efficiencies. With all of the technology the coal industry has been coming up with, people in surrounding communities still suffer, while the industry prospers. The government supports the mining companies because they provide “solutions” that kept the Appalachian people quiet and somewhat content for a brief period of time. Money makes the world go round, and makes the government happy; coal companies provide economic security.
The story of Debra and Granville Burke was one the most tragic in the Appalachian community. First the blasting above their house wrecked its foundation. Then the floods came. Four times, they wiped out the Burkes' garden, which the family depended on to get through the winter. Finally, on Christmas morning 2002, Debra Burke took her life. In a letter published in a local paper, her husband wrote: "She left eight letters describing how she loved us all but that our burdens were just getting too much to bear. She had begged for TECO to at least replace our garden, but they just turned their back on her. I look back now and think of all the things I wish I had done differently so that she might still be with us, but mostly I wish that TECO had never started mining above our home. In the language of economics, Debra Burke's death was an externality -- a cost that simply isn't factored into the price Americans pay for coal. And that is precisely the problem. Last year, American power plants burned over a billion tons of coal, accounting for over 50 percent of this country's electricity use. In Kentucky, 80 percent of the harvested coal is sold and shipped to 22 other states. Yet it is the people of Appalachia who pay the highest price for the rest of the country's cheap energy -- through contaminated water, flooding, cracked foundations and wells, bronchial problems related to breathing coal dust, and roads that have been torn up and turned deadly by speeding coal trucks. Why should large cities like Phoenix and Detroit get the coal but be held accountable for none of the environmental consequences of its extraction? And why is a Tampa-based energy company -- or Peabody Coal in St. Louis or Massey Energy in Richmond, Va. -- allowed to destroy communities throughout Appalachia? As my friend and teacher the late Guy Davenport once wrote, "Distance negates responsibility." (Reece, Moving Mountains)
Although MTR has sped up production of coal by fifty percent, according to the National Mining Association (NMA), there have been dramatic issues for the environment, health, communities, and economy. The Appalachian people suffer with MTR five days a week, and could last 24 hours a day. This means there is a constant rush of toxins in the air they breathe in, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and arsenic. These dangerous chemicals and heavy metals also find their way into the creeks and wells of the people living around the MTR sites by “sludge spills”. Coal washing often results in thousands of gallons of contaminated water that looks like black sludge and contains toxic chemicals and heavy metals. The sludge, or slurry, is often contained behind earthen dams in huge sludge ponds. One of these ponds broke on February 26th, 1972 above the community of Buffalo Creek in southern West Virginia. The Pittston Coal Company had been warned that the dam was dangerous, but they did nothing. Heavy rain caused the pond to fill up and it breached the dam, sending a wall of black water into the valley below. Over 132 million gallons of black wastewater swept through the valley. A depressing 125 people were killed, 1100 injured and 4000 were left homeless. Over 1000 cars and trucks were destroyed and the disaster did 50 million dollars in damage. The coal company called it an “act of God”. If one drop of arsenic touched the tongue of one of these people, it would be fatal. Many reports have been made stating that MTR has harmed and even killed some of the people of Appalachia. Aside from the health issues, there has been property damage, such as cracked foundations, broken windows, and complete destruction to homes and businesses. Coal companies already had a hard time containing the contaminants from mining, but with MTR, the toxic waste is getting into the drinking water of surrounding communities and destroying ecosystems. The waste that is dumped into valley fills, (which contains chemicals such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and arsenic), makes its way to clean water that is used as drinking and bathing water. One drop of some of these toxic chemicals can kill you if ingested; others can burn your skin. Is MTR worth compromising the health and lives in Appalachian communities?
The coal companies think that they are helping the people of Appalachia greatly, while improving the economy nationally. They believe that through the reclamation or “rebuilding” process of MTR, there can still be a chance for businesses to be built and wildlife to flourish. According to the National Mining Association, “The coal industry does an excellent job of reclamation. The people who work for coal companies live in the same area and have a great deal of pride in their company’s reclamation efforts. One of the favorite reclamation uses today that has been strongly encouraged by fish and wildlife governmental agencies and environmental groups is leaving the land in a condition that will enhance use by fish and wildlife. We’ve seen a resurgence of wildlife at reclaimed mine sites across the region because of leaving open spaces, trees and shrubs that provide nourishment for wildlife and ponds that contain water year round. There is more wildlife than ever, in part because of reclaimed coal lands. It was on reclaimed land where over 150 mountain elk were released recently in Kentucky. As a practical matter, this could not have happened other than on a reclaimed coal mine site.” People of the Appalachian community argue that although there is new flatland to build upon, there is not enough business to keep the new businesses running, so they are back to the issue of having a flat piece of land that caused more problems to create it, than if it were just left alone, or a different process was used.
When arguing the topic on MTR, the cause comes down to one thing, money. From national politics and government officials, down to the miners’ families in Appalachia, we are all connected. There are more economical and sensible ways to handle our issues, but we only act when we are told to. People feel as if they have to respond or act a certain way when authority is involved, so that is the first step. The government has to take this issue seriously, and the domino effect will begin. The voices of the Appalachian people are ignored because they are not loud enough. Authority has to make a move and the people will move with it.


















*Sources as cited on background paper*

The Jackson Four are Plantibles!!!

The brothers are eating each other!!! The Jackson Four are big and Michael is on of the biggest in the bunch now. The sprouts are wrapping around each other and just dont know what to do! I have been playing new music and keeping them company so that may be what has helped them?!

Rhetorical Precis #4

Joby Warrick in "Appalachia Is Paying Price For White House Rule Change"(Washington Post, 17 August, 2004; A01) informs the public about the Bush Administration's decision to continue MTR, and the acceleration of the destruction it has caused;He supports his informative article by giving a detailed background of MTR and its effects;He also explains the choices made by the Bush Administration and explains other environmental acts passed relating to MTR; Warricks purpose is to educate and inform the public about the decisions made by our government;He writes to the general public.

Rhetorical Precis #4

Rhetorical Precis # 3

Erik Reece in "Moving Mountains"(Orion Magazine, 16 Feb, 2006) informs that MTR is devastating Appalachia but residents are fighting back;He states the stories of local residents' first hand experiences with the effects of MTR and what they are doing about it;He interviews local residents and educates himself about MTR and the effects of it, including health, environmental,and economical issues;Reece's purpose is to educate and inform readers about the residents safety and are speaking up about the horrible living conditions;He writes this article for the general public, and to higher authority, to show hat the residents will not accept that their rights and lives are being destroyed.