Environment

WomenMatter will continuously post updates on all this and other issues as we monitor the continuing philosophical and practical debates nationwide. Please check back often for updates. Past updates are available for reference on the Environment Archives page.

Purple Mountain Majesty or Saving Jobs: The Debate Over Mountaintop Mining

May 2003 was a month of heated debate between environmentalists and West Virginia’s mining industry representatives. On May 7, U.S. District Judge Charles H. Haden halted mountaintop coal mining, a controversial practice that involves removing the top terrain of a hill or mountain in order to reach the coal seam. His ruling overjoyed environmentalists, since this form of mining involves decapitating mountains and then dumping the rock and soil into nearby streams and valleys, a procedure that often creates a flat land where mountains once stood.

However, higher courts twice overruled Judge Haden’s decision, and on May 29, several federal agencies released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on this issue. The creation and release of this document indicates that the Bush administration intends to let mountaintop mining continue, though under new regulations. The administration hopes to save jobs in the mining industry, as lobbied by the mine owners. The administration promises to subject that industry in the future to environmental standards.

Do We Have to Choose Between Families and Mountains?

The federal agencies of the Bush administration that authored the new EIS (which are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection) request more thorough research on the mining areas. They hope that informed decision-making about coal extraction will help to avoid unnecessary damage to the region. In other words, they claim that we can mine responsibly, thus protecting jobs and the environment.

Environmentalists claim that coal mining unnecessarily damages the environment. They say that the mountaintop mining in Appalachia will cause environmental problems that will ultimately harm the people that live there, including the miners and their families. They assert that alternative energy programs will create jobs to replace those lost by the mining industry. So, environmentalists also suggest that we can have both jobs and mountains, but their approach is altogether different.

We CAN Make a Difference!

Your opinion is wanted. The government is requesting public comment on the draft EIS, which is available at public libraries and on the EPA website. Copies may also be requested by calling the EPA toll free EIS request hotline at 1-800-228-8711.

Written comments will be accepted until August 29, 2003, and the public is invited to make oral comments during either of the two public hearings. The first hearing will be held on July 22, 2003 at The Forum at The Hal Rogers Center, 101 Bulldog Lane, Hazard, KY 41701. The second hearing will be held on July 24, 2003 at the Charleston Civic Center-Little Theater, 200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston, WV 25301. Each hearing will have two sessions: the first from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second on the same day from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Written comments must be received by August 29, 2003 to be considered in the preparation of the Final EIS. Please send all comments to John Forren, U.S. EPA (3EA30), 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

Posted on: 6/3/2003

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