Breaking Down Mountaintop Removal

MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL Applachia leads the nation in surface mining. WATER CONTAMINATION is the result. Mountaintop removal – or the practice of using explosives to remove mountain peaks to extract underlying coal – has been sweeping Applachia since 1990. However, its short-term gains are paying for long-term, health-related losses. While streams of water are buried under leftover toxic debris, nearby residents are suffering from water and air pollution from the practice. Before we demolish this process for good, we need to understand it. WHAT'S THE PROCESS? CLEAR THE FOREST BLAST THE MOUNTAIN DIG THROUGH DEBRIS Draglines, or 22-story high, heavy machinery, collect coal Over 600 ft. of elevation are Trees and topsoil are clear-cut, burned and sometimes dumped into valley fills. removed coal is extracted by explosives. and debris from the mountain. DUMP THE WASTE PROCESS THE COAL COVER THE DAMAGE The debris is disposed in nearby valleys and streams, filling the Companies must make an effort to restore the area, but the land is seldom used for economic Coal must be treated before power plants burn it – and this produces a sludge. water with toxic metals. development afterward. SOURCE: AppVoices.org WHERE'S THE PROBLEM? Mountaintop Removal Impact in Acres A 2009 study found that more than Kentucky 500 574,000 West Virginia 352,000 Virginia 156,000 Tennessee mountains have been significantly impacted by mountaintop removal. 78,000 Kentucky West Virginia Virginia Tennessee 293 135 67 AFFECTED MOUNTAINS AFFECTED MOUNTAINS AFFECTED MOUNTAINS AFFECTED MOUNTAINS SOURCE: AppVoices.org CAN YOU HANDLE THE DAMAGE? Mountaintop Removal has destroyed nearly And will potentially damage Surface mining removes more than 2,000 1.4 500 million acres of mountaintops feet of the mountain miles of streams by 2020 to reach deep seams of coal. SOURCE: SierraClub.org; ILoveMountains.org WHAT'S THE HEALTH IMPACT? Toxic metals found in debris are making their way through our air and drinking water, such as... These contaminants have been linked to high incidents of.... 48 33 34 Cd As Se Cadmium Arsenic Selenium Kidney Disease Birth Defects Cancer SOURCE: CRMW.net/resources/health-impacts.php SO... WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS, THEN? Surface mining advocates point out that the practice will lead to more JOBS, MINING EFFICIENCY & FLAT LAND But others still aren't convinced. Is it worth the cost? ADDITIONAL SOURCES: Appvoices.org/end-mountaintop-removal/community/ WOTER Information graphic by Kaitlyn Richert PROJECT