What does mountaintop removal mean?

What is the meaning of mountaintop removal?

Mountaintop removal is a radical form of coal mining in which the tops of mountains are literally blasted off to access seams of coal. It takes place in the Appalachian Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth.

What is the benefits of mountaintop removal?

“With mountaintop removal you’re able to mine seams that you could not mine with underground mining because they are so thin—but it’s a very high-quality coal,” said Roger Horton, a truck driver and United Mine Workers Union representative who works at a mountaintop site in Logan, West Virginia.

What loophole legalized mountaintop removal?

Back in 2002, the Bush administration created a loophole by adopting a regulation defining mining spoil from surface mines (and other similar wastes) as “fill material” to be regulated by the Corps—essentially legalizing mountaintop removal by allowing the dumping of mining waste into waterways.

What is mountaintop removal for kids?

Mountaintop-removal coal mining is exactly what it sounds like: mining companies blow up ancient, forested mountains to extract the underlying coal. They dump the mining waste into adjacent valleys—turning wild mountains into polluted wastelands, destroying watersheds, and severely harming nearby communities.

Is strip mining the same as mountaintop removal?

Mountaintop removal coal mining, often described as “strip mining on steroids,” is an extremely destructive form of mining that is devastating Appalachia. In the past few decades, over 2,000 miles of streams and headwaters that provide drinking water for millions of Americans have been permanently buried and destroyed.

Is mountaintop removal still legal?

Disposal of excess overburden associated with mountaintop removal mining has generally been permitted under Nationwide Permit 21 (NWP 21), which authorizes discharges from surface coal mining activities that result in no more than minimal impacts (site-specifically and cumulatively) to the aquatic environment.

Why do coal companies use mountaintop removal?

Primarily, mountaintop removal is occurring in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Coal companies in Appalachia are increasingly using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require.

How does mountaintop removal affect the local community?

Toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, selenium, and arsenic leach into local water supplies, poisoning drinking water. This destructive practice, known as mountaintop-removal mining, sends carcinogenic toxins like silica into the air, affecting communities for miles around.

How does mountaintop removal affect the surrounding waterways?

Summary: Over time, alkaline salts and other contaminants from the coal residue and crushed rocks in valley fills leach into nearby streams and rivers, degrading water quality and causing dramatic increases in salinity that are harmful to downstream ecosystems.

How does mountaintop removal pollute the air?

Explosives used during the mountaintop removal mining process are one of the suggested causes of increased particulate matter, a type of air pollution made up of very tiny particles that can easily be inhaled and become lodged in the lungs.

How is mountaintop removal different than traditional underground mining?

Coal companies argue that MTR mining is cheaper than traditional mining (Yan 2010). Rather than going underground or digging through “overburden” (soil, trees, and rocks) to access coal seams, mountaintop removal just blasts the tops off (Yan 2010).

How can mountaintop removal be prevented?

Top 3 Ways to Rid U.S. Need for Mountaintop Removal Coal

1. 1 Be Energy Efficient. One answer is that opportunities for energy efficiency in the US are huge. …
2. 2 Invest in Renewable Energy. …
3. 3 Stop Exporting Coal.

Why is indoor air quality important in schools?

Good IAQ contributes to a favorable environment for students, performance of teachers and staff, and a sense of comfort, health and well-being. These elements combine to assist a school in its core mission — educating children. Maintenance of acceptable temperature and relative humidity.

What are the 4 major indoor air pollutants?

The Environmental Protection Agency has noted that excess moisture, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and radon are four major indoor air pollutants. They result in damp and stuffy houses.

What causes poor air quality in schools?

Poor air quality at a school can come from various sources. It can come from the building materials, such as the paint (VOCs), the furniture (off-gassing) or from the cleaning products. At schools in urban settings there will be higher levels of particulate matter (from vehicle exhaust emissions and industry).

What are the three pollutants that have decreased the most since 1990?

Name the three pollutants that have decreased the most since 1990. Lead, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide have decreased the most since 1990. Explain how the methods involved in “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Compost” can help to control solid waste.

What are the biggest pollutants in the US?

Six Common Pollutants

• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)
• Ozone (O₃)
• Particulate matter (PM), and.
• Sulfur dioxide (SO₂)

Is the air quality getting worse?

A new study shows that most of us humans are likely inhaling more air pollution each year. A man tends to crops as emissions rise from the nearby cooling towers of a coal-fired power station in Anhui province, China.

Is air quality in the United States better or worse than it was in 1990?

Air pollution in the U.S. has decreased since about 1990, and a new study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill now shows that this air quality improvement has brought substantial public health benefits.

Where is the most unhealthy air quality?

List of most-polluted cities by particulate matter concentration

Where is the air quality the best in the US?

States with the Best Air Quality

• Hawaii. Hawaii has an air quality index of 21.2, the cleanest average air in the U.S. This is well in the good air quality index range. …
• Alaska. …
• Washington. …
• Oregon. …
• Maine. …
• Utah. …
• Ohio. …
• Georgia.

Where is air quality the worst in the US?

Pollution level rankings 2019

What is the cleanest state in the US?

The cleanest states

1. 1. California Cleanliness Score: 7.36. California is the cleanest state overall with a cleanliness score of 7.36. …
2. HawaiiCleanliness Score: 6.94. Hawaii claims second place with a cleanliness score of 6.94. …
3. WashingtonCleanliness Score: 6.40.

What state has the most smog?

Alaska. Fairbanks, Alaska, ranked #1 in terms of short-term particle pollution, and #6 in year-round particle pollution. That was enough to secure the state a spot in the top 5 nationwide.