Mining: Hobet 21 Mine, West Virginia/Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

Introduction

The location we are discussing is Boone County, West Virginia, U.S.. The specific type of mining is the process of mountaintop removal. The fossil fuel being mined for is coal. This topic is highly debated, but overall the mountaintop removal in this area has caused many environmental disasters within the area, including the declining diversity of aquatic species and excessively amount of coal sludge being made that has devastated some watersheds and communities.

Background Information

West Virginia is in the eastern part of the United States. Boone county is part of the Charleston area. The mountain range in this area is the Appalachian mountains. West Virginia is known to be a very old-fashioned, live off the land type of culture. Due to corrupt media portrayals from the late 1800’s to modern times, West Virginian’s are stereotyped as unintelligent, reclusive, and often physically disfigured in the media, for example the movie Wrong Turn, where a group of friends are lost in the West Virginia and held hostage by “backwoods cannibals.” These are dramatizations. Many people in West Virginia are very smart and everyday types of people. Popular foods in this state are pepperoni rolls, venison jerky and apple cake. This region is a temperate forest biome with a wide range of species including deer, grizzly bears, moose and beavers. According to a 1999 study by Dr. John Kartesz, there are 6,374 plant species recorded in the Appalachian mountain range. Boone County, West Virginia is undergoing mountaintop removal mining. This is a process in which the tops of mountains are blown off using explosives or large machinery. A company by the name of Patriot Coal owns the mines in Boone County and other places around the state. The Appalachians are known for their massive amounts of coal, and that’s exactly what these miners are digging up. This coal is very high-grade. In our society, coal is used for energy, industrial work, and even fertilisers. To American’s it is very important because coal powers 44% of America’s energy, and without it we would not have nearly as much energy to use.

Discussion

In order to remove the minerals, the Hobet 21 Mine uses the process of mountaintop removal. In this process they use five steps to complete it. According to the Environmental Protection Agency the five steps are:

“1.Layers of rock and dirt above the coal (called overburden) are removed.

2.The upper seams of coal are removed with spoils placed in an adjacent valley.

3.Draglines excavate lower layers of coal with spoils placed in spoil piles.

4.Regrading begins as coal excavation continues.

5.Once coal removal is complete, final regrading takes place and the area is revegetated.” Due to the process of extraction and processing, many environmental issues have occurred. Many ecosystems around streams in this area experience degradation because toxins from the mine are introduced to the areas. NASA’s government website states,”nickel, lead, cadmium, iron, and selenium,” are some possible toxins found. This exposure of toxins has left rivers, specifically the mud river, with declining fish populations and diversity, flooding in valleys, and coal sludge. These impacts are caused by the disposal of excess waste to be buried in valley fills, allowing chemicals and minerals to seep into the river. In order to try and stop the mine from creating even more damage, environmental laws and organizations have been set up. “The Environmental Protection Agency”, “1997 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act,” and “the Army Corps

of Engineers,” have all begun to help with protection according to NASA government. Many of these attempts haven't been extremely successful. This is due to the fact that the West Virginian economy is heavily dependent on coal mining. The West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health, Safety, and Training website states coal, “adds approximately $214 million into West Virginia’s economy.” This dependency on the coal industry overall protects the businesses and allows for this environmental damage to continue, creating an over ending cycle of money over the environment.

Conclusion

The Hobet 21 Mine in West Virginia has created a thriving business in terms of money and production, yet has caused an incredible amount of environmental damage. In order to stop this damage, we need to allow regulations to be put in place and understand the effect we have on our world.

Work Cited

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/MountaintopRemoval/

http://www3.epa.gov/region03/mtntop/

http://www.smart-traveler.info/map_of_wv.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_5979058_animals-plants-found-appalachian-mountains.html

https://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-coal

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html#.VpcGUjHF-nY

http://www.wvminesafety.org/wvcoalfacts.htm