The cost of energy

Nate Hoftender

The past two decades, mountaintop coal mining has destroyed over one million acres of a diverse ecosystem in Appalachia. Since the mid-1990’s the coal industry has used a cheaper way to remove coal from the Appalachian Mountains by the way of strip mining. The process removes all flora and fauna from the landscape with dynamite and heavy machinery until a coal seam is reached. The unwanted substance from the removal of the mountain gets dumped into valleys where over 2000 miles of pristine streams have been buried. Enforcement actions need to be taken on the coal industry for destroying this unique ecosystem.

 

The United States Army Corps of Engineers issues permits granting the permission for the destruction and each state Environmental Agency tolerates the pollution. Downstream of mountaintop removal and valley fill sites, the water quality is poor. High concentrations of nickel, lead, cadmium, iron, and selenium exceed government standards.  The polluted water has destroyed diversity of fish and aquatic life. Drinking water has been contaminated and now the streams cannot be used for recreational activities.

 

            The once diverse ecosystem was used for foraging and hunting by locals in the area. Now, locals look at the bare hillsides where they use to pick ginseng, go for hikes and look at the natural beauty of the mountains. They often ask themselves, “Why did we let this happen?” During a rain event local towns located below valley fill sites have an increase of flash flooding events. This is due to little vegetation on hill sides and some valley fills that act as a dam have collapsed destroying local communities. This destruction is for the cheap but dirty energy source called coal and it is the most common source of electricity for Americans. Unfortunately, coal emits large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and is the most polluting of all fossil fuels and the largest source of climate change in the world.

 

Something needs to be done about our consumption of coal which will eventually stop mountaintop coal mining. Renewable energy such as wind power has helped decrease the amount of coal use. In 2011 wind energy produced enough energy to power 1.6 million homes. This number will continue to rise in the years to come. With the world in a recession it is hard to invest in renewable energy due to its high start up costs. However, the world needs to make investments to eventually save the world from both ecosystem destruction and to slow down global climate change. Policy makers perennially side with and subsidize the coal industry as our nation is still obliviously in love with the cheap, reliable, and dirty energy that coal brings. With the two factors listed it is near impossible to change what has happened or what will happen to mountains in Appalachia.

"Coal Controversy In Appalachia : Feature Articles." Coal Controversy In Appalachia : Feature Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/MountaintopRemoval/>.

 

"Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining." By : Yale Environment 360. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://e360.yale.edu/feature/leveling_appalachia_the_legacy_of_mountaintop_removal_mining/2198/>.