https://connectusfund.org/5-foremost-pros-and-cons-of-mountaintop-removal Mountaintop mining is a practice where the tops of mountains are removed, allowing for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require. Amazingly, these mining practices by-and-large have been allowed under current laws. "Mountain top removal mining is not an issue of jobs v the environment. The Appalachian region is home to one of the oldest and most biologically diverse mountain systems on the continent. This time-series of images of a surface mine in Boone County, West Virginia, illustrates why this controversial mining method is also called “mountaintop removal.” Based on data from Landsat 5, 7, and 8, these natural-color images document the growth of the Hobet mine as it moves from ridge to ridge between 1984 to 2015. Removing that much earth is done by using millions of pounds of explosives – with blasts that can be 50 to … Mountaintop removal is a permanent desecration of the gift of creation by a benevolent and gracious Creator. Stream Buffer Zone Rule Mountaintop removal refers to a type of mining that removes the summit of a mountain by using explosives to expose the coal seams underneath it, making it vastly different from the traditional mining practice of manually digging a tunnel through mountains. Nearby communities, however, are not economically secure and depend on these operations for jobs. The devastating environmental impacts of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia have long been well documented. Mountaintop mining can involve removing 500 feet or more of the summit to get at the buried seams of coal. United Mountain Defense (UMD) United Mountain Defense (UMD) is a nonprofit organization committed to halting mountaintop removal coal mining (otherwise referred to as … In 2008, North Carolina and Georgia were the top two consumers of mountaintop removal coal. But over the last decade, Indiana University researcher Michael Hendryx has been examining another consequence of this form of coal surface mining that had previously been overlooked: the health impacts on the people in the surrounding communities. It destroys their culture, their way of making a … With Judy Bonds, Larry Gibson, Maria Gunnoe, William Mapother. A study in 2009 estimated over 500 mountains have been blown up in mountaintop removal mining (equal to around 1,160,000 acres). Mountaintop removal also destructively pollutes the streams and valleys where people have lived for centuries in Appalachia. Directed by Michael Cusack O'Connell. 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