How mountaintop mining affects life and landscape in West Virginia (PBS) Important reporting.

[Equinox Moon]

[elleng]

1. VERY important.

[Equinox Moon]

4. Those images are horrifying!!!

They chopped off the top of the mountain! Who the hell thinks up this stuff in the first place?

I guarantee you I would never create a business to do this. Insane!

[elleng]

5. Yes, and I just HEARD the story on the radio;

was gritting my teeth. My daughter attended college in WV, so I have an even more emotional reaction than others (maybe.)

[yallerdawg]

2. We don't need the coal and it costs us way too much.

What kind of people could do this to our environment and justify it with rationalization and lies?

[golfguru]

3. tRump touts "clean" coal

Sounds impossible, it is an oxymoron.

[furtheradu]

6. Yes, important! & Heart breaking.

Sickening.
& the last graphic, I am paraphrasing, but :
2016, 160,000 coal jobs, vs 300,000+ solar jobs..
Wth?! It ain't rocket surgery! Put people to work in clean energy, renewable energy, for the goood of Mother Earth & ALL our Children. & YEAH, it IS PROFITABLE.
PLEEEEEZ!

[Equinox Moon]

8. I'm with you. This is so dishonorable and horrifying.

It needs to be illegal. NO ONE should be allowed to do this!



We need a Standing Rock type occupation protest and stop this madness.

[mtngirl47]

7. The other effect of mountain top mining is flooding

in areas that previously never flooded.

My family land in West Virginia was condemned by FEMA after 3 devastating floods. Our family had lived on the land for 80 years with no floods--then after nearby mountain top mining a heavy rain caused the CREEK to over flow and flood the fields, barn and house. There was 6 feet of water in the house.

We all came together and rebuilt the homestead and my Uncle bought flood insurance--even though they called it a "hundred year flood." Two years later it happened again. Then we had a five year respite, but it happened again. At that point the land was condemned and the family was bought out--for pennies on the dollar. Now, the land can never be used for housing or a farm or a business.

And yet---my West Virginia family still supports mining. The same Uncle worked in the mines. Christmas of 2005 he had a gall bladder attack and subsequent surgery. He was home recovering on January 2, 2006 when the Sago Mine exploded--with his crew inside. Thirteen miners were trapped for two days and only one came out alive. And yet---my large West Virginia family still supports mining.

Why? Tradition, Identity of the region, Stubborn, Ignorant, No other Choice--except to leave. I've told my cousins that the last one to leave West Virginia should turn the lights out.