Mountain Top Removal
Mountaintop Removal 101
1: What is mountaintop removal?
It is a way to mine coal by destroying mountain tops and harvesting the coal from it.
2: How does each of the following affect the environment:
• Clearing: The top soil and vegetation from this is moved and dumped illegally into the environment.
• Blasting: Disrupts the the wildlife on the mountains and in the mountains as it kills them by blowing them up.
• Digging: Draglines are used to clear coal and leftovers (debris)
• Dumping Waste: Left overs are removed and placed in a valley eventually leading into moving bodies of water.
• Processing: Toxic Chemicals are released into the environment
• Reclaimation: The recovery time for the forests may take a while.
3: Where is mountaintop removal happening?
4: What can be done to stop mountaintop removal?
Using the Clean Water Protection Act as a way to repel changes of the mountains by banning dumping of the debris.
5: What agencies are involved in regulating mountaintop removal?
6: What is one reason why we don’t need to use this type of process?
The amount of electricity used is a large amount ( 4.5% of U.S)
Economic Impacts of Mountaintop Removal
7: Summarize the economic impacts of mountaintop removal
One big impact from mountaintop removal is the large amount of job lost. Because this is a much more simple
way of mining for coal, many coal miners will lose jobs. Another impact would be the losing support of people
toward the company and the ugly look that it provides for the U.S,The large amount of destruction creates
a site that is disgusting to many tourists and to the look of the companies. This makes for a great loss of money.
Ecological Impacts of Mountaintop Removal
8: Summarize the ecological impacts of mountaintop removal
Mining creates a large impact toward the environment mainly through pollution. The debris that is left from
the mining sites have no place to go that is beneficial to the companies. Because of this the companies decide
to illegally drop the waste into the nearby valleys. The pollution will also move. It will get into bodies of moving
water. The other effect is the destruction of animal habitats as it destroys many forests. These forests become
difficult to restore as the top soil the is needed, is removed.
Community Impacts of Mountaintop Removal
9: How does mountaintop removal affect the local community?
The pollutants coming from mountaintop removal move toward the local communities poisoning them. It is
able to make the local water toxic. Flyrock also becomes a problem as the communities are susceptible to
being cover in dust polluting the rest of their items.
1: What is mountaintop removal?
It is a way to mine coal by destroying mountain tops and harvesting the coal from it.
2: How does each of the following affect the environment:
• Clearing: The top soil and vegetation from this is moved and dumped illegally into the environment.
• Blasting: Disrupts the the wildlife on the mountains and in the mountains as it kills them by blowing them up.
• Digging: Draglines are used to clear coal and leftovers (debris)
• Dumping Waste: Left overs are removed and placed in a valley eventually leading into moving bodies of water.
• Processing: Toxic Chemicals are released into the environment
• Reclaimation: The recovery time for the forests may take a while.
3: Where is mountaintop removal happening?
- Kentucky
- East Tennessee
- SW Virginia
4: What can be done to stop mountaintop removal?
Using the Clean Water Protection Act as a way to repel changes of the mountains by banning dumping of the debris.
5: What agencies are involved in regulating mountaintop removal?
- U.S Corp. of Engineers
- EPA
- President Council On Environmental Quality
6: What is one reason why we don’t need to use this type of process?
The amount of electricity used is a large amount ( 4.5% of U.S)
Economic Impacts of Mountaintop Removal
7: Summarize the economic impacts of mountaintop removal
One big impact from mountaintop removal is the large amount of job lost. Because this is a much more simple
way of mining for coal, many coal miners will lose jobs. Another impact would be the losing support of people
toward the company and the ugly look that it provides for the U.S,The large amount of destruction creates
a site that is disgusting to many tourists and to the look of the companies. This makes for a great loss of money.
Ecological Impacts of Mountaintop Removal
8: Summarize the ecological impacts of mountaintop removal
Mining creates a large impact toward the environment mainly through pollution. The debris that is left from
the mining sites have no place to go that is beneficial to the companies. Because of this the companies decide
to illegally drop the waste into the nearby valleys. The pollution will also move. It will get into bodies of moving
water. The other effect is the destruction of animal habitats as it destroys many forests. These forests become
difficult to restore as the top soil the is needed, is removed.
Community Impacts of Mountaintop Removal
9: How does mountaintop removal affect the local community?
The pollutants coming from mountaintop removal move toward the local communities poisoning them. It is
able to make the local water toxic. Flyrock also becomes a problem as the communities are susceptible to
being cover in dust polluting the rest of their items.