The Evils of Mountaintop Removal
by Throughout Appalachia, but especially in the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, the process of mountaintop removal has destroyed the natural beauty that is such an essential element of that exquisite region. Although defended by some as economically necessary, removal is in fact a destruction of all that native residents should hold dear.
Not so long ago, a road trip through the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky entailed panoramic views of mountains stretching into the distance. In recent years, however, this magnificent vista has been slowly but steadily disappearing, as the mountains themselves are torn away to get at the coal beneath. While the extraction of coal forms an integral part of the economy of many states in Appalachia, the use of such brutal methods to obtain it undermines the benefit of obtaining the coal. In taking away the mountains themselves, mountaintop removal not only deprives these states of the benefits of tourism and the economic well-being of local communities, but also causes severe environmental damage that often takes years to reverse. The state of West Virginia has been particularly impacted by this method and stands to be even further so, so this article shall focus primarily on that state, though the effects here can be seen anywhere that mountaintop removal is used.
To give an idea of what occurs during mountaintop removal, imagine carving away several layers of the mountain, extracting the coal, then replacing the parts that were taken away. This, of course, leaves the mountain a mere skeleton of its former self. Where once it was blanketed with trees, after the removal process it is scarred and bleak, the trees nowhere to be seen and only the barest scrub grass growing in its place. Similarly, the streams and rivers that surround a mountain take years to recover from the pollution, assuming that they have not been buried beneath the debris. Although mining corporations are required to reclaim the land after the coal seam has been removed, frequently that reclamation does little to help recover the land and reduces the likelihood that anyone from out of state would want to visit. Furthermore, the reclamation effort does little to recover the former biodiversity of the area, focusing instead on preventing erosion.
This destruction of mountaintops has serious repercussions economically, for West Virginia is highly dependent on out-of-state tourism for revenue. Those from outside of the state frequently come to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery and removing those very mountains severely decreases their tourism value. Several of the states most noteworthy tourist destinations reside on mountains which may at some point be subject to mountaintop removal methods. If tourists no longer see West Virginia as a place of refuge from the hustle and bustle of big-city life, then West Virginia, never known as a wealthy state, stands to lose a great deal of tourism revenue as long as mountaintop removal proves to be a widespread practice.
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