Coal Industry Need For Coal Produces Environmental Damage

Cassidy Selep Love AP Language 1 May 2015 Coal Craze: Need for Coal Produces Environmental Damage I sat quietly in the large van. Everyone was quiet. We were swaying back and forth as the car rounded each bend, moving with the mountain. The car slowly climbed up, revealing more peaks. I took in the atmosphere with every breath. The mountain rose and fell like sand dunes. Fog blanketed the mountaintop illuminating the green tree tops and emphasizing the dark leaves of others. The van continued in peace. As we swung around one last corner, the silence was broken and a unified gasp filled the vehicle. Our sight was stolen. The utopian mountaintop was replaced with flat, gray, barren land. The passengers were shocked and the murmurs bubbled†¦show more content†¦It is clearly stated in the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) that surface mining operations cause environmental and social damage â€Å"by impairing natural beauty, by damaging the property of citizens, by creating hazards dangerous to life and property by degrading the quality of life in local communities...† (#6). Surface mining causes more damage to the environment than other methods. Everything ranging from air and water pollution to degrading land and loss of biodiversity has been caused by surface mining. The Appalachian mountain region is the most diverse forest in the world. There are a large number of salamanders and migratory birds, along with waterways, the first link in the food chain that supports the entire forest. Valley fills, where overburden from surface mining is dumped, can cover up streams, thus breaking the food chain. In an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, it was found that a large number of mayflies have disappeared. This may seem like a small loss, but it will affect other creatures in the future. As more and more chains break in the food chain, the less diverse the forest is. It was also found that the cerulean warblers, a migratory bird, has been decreasing in populatio n. In fact, over 40 years, the cerulean warbler has decreased by 82% (McQuaid). These small creatures are vital to the diverse ecosystem of the Appalachian mountains.