Mountain top mining is an aesthetic concern not an environmental issue. The mining is a straight forward engineering and construction process. Proven construction controls keep the material handled from impacting the environment. Under current law the mountain top must be restored.
Coal mining is the principle user of mountain top mining. A coal seam, be it two feet or twenty feet thick can be removed by auguring from the side. Columns of the coal must be left to support the undisturbed material above. Coal extraction from this method rarely exceeds 35%.
There is no inherent environmental harm from this type of mining. The removal of the overburden (rock and soil above the coal) does not release any gases. The over burden material now exposed to rainfall does not contain pollutants above background levels found in naturally occurring material. No Impact to air from gaseous releases; no impact to streams from runoff; and no impact to ground water from leachate. Where is the environmental harm?
The impact is simply aesthetics. My favorite reason for stopping the mining is, "That mountain has been in our family for over 150 years." No doubt true. There is also no doubt that sometime in that ownership period the mineral rights were sold. The family had been using those proceeds for years. Now the owner wants to claim the material.
One problem in mountainous areas is tillable land. Mountain top mining could create a plateau and fill part of the valley. Depending on the depth of the coal seam this could produce 1,200 to 4,000 tillable acres. A good size farm by anyone's definition.
You don't want that mountain mined. You don't want tillable land. Buy back the mineral rights.
I just plain get annoyed when people want to retain something they don't own or even control.
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