In America's Appalachian mountaintop mining debate, whose volume has ratcheted up in recent months as a result of various government proposals, each side points to a host of costs vs. benefits. One area of agreement, however, is that many of these costs and benefits derive directly from the use of coal itself. (Competing economic and environmental values of the Appalachian ecosystems affected by mountaintop mining are addressed in another article.)
What is Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTR)?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines MTR as “removal of mountaintops to expose coal seams, and disposing of the associated mining overburden in adjacent valleys – valley fills.” The West Virginia Coal Association states, “Mountaintop mining is simply coal mining that occurs at or near the topmost portion of a mountain.”
Other forms of surface or pit mining for coal generally occur on flat or hilly terrain and remove thick deposits relatively near the surface. In contrast, mountaintop mines occur primarily in the rugged terrain of Appalachia. They literally blast away the tops of mountains with explosives to take the underlying layers of coal. According to the EPA, coal seams as few as 28 inches thick at depths of 1000 feet are considered part of Appalachia’s coal reserves.
Coal as an Energy Source
The controversy surrounding mountaintop removal begins with the importance of coal as fuel. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest statistics (2007) show that coal provides almost one-half of U.S. electric power from all sources. About 10% of that coal originates from mountaintops. But much of mountaintop coal is sent overseas: the West Virginia Coal Association touts the fact that the state provides 50% of all American coal exports.
Coal is known as an abundant but “dirty” source of energy. The EIA states that coal is the most carbon intensive of all fuels. When burned, coal releases twice the CO2 equivalent of natural gas and 40% more than petroleum to produce the same amount of energy.
According to the National Research Council’s 2009 report, “Hidden Costs of Energy,” coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of greenhouse gases in the U.S. Unfortunately, greenhouse gas emissions are building up in the atmosphere, acting as a primary driver of global warming.
Employment from Coal Mining
MTR occurs in several states, but West Virginia communities are ground zero of the mountaintop removal debate. In the region where bituminous coal was named the state rock in 2007, many people are conspicuously supportive of coal mining operations. Coal provides nearly 13% of West Virginia’s gross state product. It is an important employer and source of state and county taxes in many Appalachian states.
On the other hand, an EPA Environmental Impact Statement on mountaintop removal/valley fill (2005) found that in the coal producing regions of Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, “Dramatic increases in mine productivity since 1980 have led to dramatic decreases in coal mining employment, despite increased coal production.” Also, employment as a miner carries the additional risk of black lung disease, silicosis or asbestosis — all potentially fatal disorders that can result from years of inhaling high levels of airborne mining dust particles.
Alternative Energy Potential in Appalachia
Some communities affected by mountaintop removal are proponents of alternative wind energy. The Coal River Mountain Wind Project commissioned a study in 2007 comparing wind vs. mountaintop removal coal that concludes a mountaintop wind farm could produce enough energy to power 70,000 West Virginia homes. It would provide permanent jobs, whereas coal jobs from a proposed MTR mine would last only a projected 17 years. Annual county tax receipts from wind were estimated at $1.74 million compared to $36,000 from coal.
The analysis makes the case that “Even without comparing it with the wind scenarios, the mountaintop removal scenario is not defensible from the perspective of Raleigh County citizens when considering just two externalities: excess deaths and illnesses, and environmental damage.” An externality is an impact on someone not directly part of a transaction, resulting in prices that do not reflect full costs and benefits.
Mountaintop removal mining, and associated valley fills, are an increasingly controversial source of coal for power. A limited survey of the costs and benefits directly associated with coal reveal many downsides to its use as a source of energy and employment. Wind energy in the mountainous region of Appalachia may provide a means of transforming local economies while saving the mountaintops.
Sources:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), What is Mountaintop Mining?, http://www.epa.gov/Region3/mtntop/, accessed Nov. 7, 2009
EPA, Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Mountaintop Mining/Valley Fills in Appalachia, http://www.epa.gov/Region3/mtntop/eis2005.htm, 2005
Hansen, E. et al., The Long-Term Economic Benefits of Wind Versus Mountaintop Removal Coal on Coal River Mountain, West Virginia, Coal River Mountain Watch website (www.coalriverwind.org), December 2008
U.S. Energy Information Agency, http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table1_1.html, report released Nov. 13, 2009
West Virginia Coal Association website, What is Mountaintop Mining?, http://www.wvcoal.com/index.php, 9-1-2009
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