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W. Virginia Torn Over Coal Mining

Small town split on pros and cons of clearing mountains

By Kristina Loew, Newser User

Posted Jan 14, 2009 7:37 AM CST

(Newser) – As the mining industry clears mountains in Appalachia, a nearby town finds itself in a conundrum over the future of coal, writes John McQuaid in Smithsonian magazine. With prices and energy demands soaring, mining sites are multiplying—and while some residents see the state’s oldest and most profitable industry as part of their livelihood, others are headed to court to stop it.

Ansted, W. Virginia, has become “an improbable battleground in the struggle to meet the nation's rising energy needs,” writes McQuaid. Mountaintop mining means no longer simply drilling into mountains, but demolishing them. With cancer cases rising and eco-systems evaporating, opponents of the practice accuse the industry of skirting laws and scaring away tourists. To “see that mountain disappear, really, really hurts," laments one local.

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (1)]

Coal ash slurry is left behind in a containment pond near the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn. (AP Photo/Greeenpeace, Wade Payne)

A shovel prepares to dump a load of coal into a 320-ton truck. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

President Bush gestures during remarks to the annual meeting of the West Virginia Coal Association last summer in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Dana Kuhnline demonstrates in Charleston, W.Va., protesting against weakening a rule that prohibits coal mining activities within 100 feet of streams. (AP Photo/Bob Bird)

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Mountaintop coal removal, because of the toll it takes on the natural surroundings, is threatening the quality of life in communities that the coal industry helped build.”
- John McQuaid, Smithsonian

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W. Virginia Torn Over Coal Mining