Ugh, utterly disgusting and atrocious

This post is in response to Rule to expand mountaintop coal mining in U.S.
by John M. Broder

Ugh. Try as I might, I can't even be open-minded or unbiased about this. For those of you that don't know, Mountaintop Coal Mining (often "affectionately" deemed "Mountaintop removal, Valley fill") is the process of (literally) blowing off the top of mountains (sometimes up to 1000 ft.) to remove rock and dirt above the underlying coal seam. (Oh, don't worry, the trees are sold as timber and the top soil is saved for reclamation... And well, screw everything that might have been living there...) This rock and dirt (called "overburden") is shoveled away into local valleys, effectively "smoothing" the landscape, polluting the water system, and flat out destroying rivers and streams. Coal is then mined (ripped out, more like it) by huge dragline excavators, that can remove hundreds of tons in a single cycle.

And after the coal's been pulled out, the companies throw the topsoil back on and plant non-native, fast growing grass (as per regulations by the Office of Surface Mining). Problem is, these grasses don't allow native trees to take root, and effectively render these "restored/reclaimed" areas all but useless. In fact, the most popular uses for these areas tend to be shopping centers, golf courses (where the execs of mining companies can circle-jerk with all of the politicians they're in bed with--sorry, I told you I couldn't be objective), and amazingly enough, small airports...

Basically, the people of Appalachia (where Mountaintop Removal occurs) are getting fucked. There's no lighter way of putting it--their homes are destroyed by the shock of the blast, their water systems are being polluted, and even worse, they're not even able to capitalize on the alleged economic benefits because the industry is screwing them out of jobs. From 1990 to 1997, when Mountaintop Removal caught on, 10,000 mining jobs were lost in Appalachia. The poorest region in America got a whole lot poorer.

So what's all this mini-hoo-ha now? Well basically, the Bush administration is trying to "clarify" the Office of Surface Mining's (OSM) regulations. You can be sure their "clarity" isn't exactly going to be very stringent on mining companies. At the center of this debate is where mining waste goes. In 2002, the a district judge stopped new permits on Mountaintop Removal because dumping the fills near streams were in violation of the Clean Water Act, but the decision was overturned by the Appeals Court in 2003. This debate is similar, in that language that prevented the removal of waste within a certain proximity of streams is being softened to "limiting the amount of waste" or some such bullshit. That's as far as I can make of it, though it is 3 a.m. so feel free to correct me. Basically, it'll make mining easier and cheaper, while completely disregarding the environment.

What pisses me off the most are statements like: "A spokesman for the National Mining Association, Luke Popovich, said that unless mine owners were allowed to dump mine waste in streams and valleys it would be impossible to operate in mountainous regions like West Virginia that hold some of the richest low-sulfur coal seams" as if screwing up our environment is doing our nation a SERVICE. Honestly, where do these people get off? Uh, how exactly did you operate BEFORE moutaintop removal? Oh, that's right, you actually employed thousands of workers. But boo-hoo, if you can't throw your shit (literally feces of mining) into our water and ecosystem, you can't enjoy the lucrative profits you're now experiencing. Note that I'm not advocating coal mining, but look, if we can't switch completely to clean forms of energy, let's at least control the impact we have on our environment.

Basically, I'm pissed off because rich, profiteering fucks hold the nation's impoverished at gun point, and while they're busy pickpocketing the poor, they're blaming the rest of America for forcing them to pull the trigger.

P.S. What can we do? Eh, at this point, maybe not much. One step is to send in a comment to the Office of Surface Mining (http://www.osmre.gov/news/082407.pdf ) and they'll include your comment on their final (bloated) report. hooray.

A better alternative is to write to your congressman. There's a bill floating around (HR 2169) that promises to strengthen the Clean Water Act by preventing Valley Fill. (Here's one link to support it: http://www.ilovemountains.org/action/write_your_rep/).

Or just shoot a coal mining exec or an OSM lackey. I mean...

Further Reading (feel free to suggest others):
"Mountain Madness" by Ted Williams
http://magazine.audubon.org/incite/incite0105.html