The above image shows three phases of surface mines in Charleston County, WV (12). Displayed are terracing, flattening, and valley fill-in, all stages of surface mining (8). Under the SMCRA regulations, land must be returned to its "approximate original contour" after mining, however the Department of Environmental Protection does not enforce the regulations, causing residents to file civil suits against the coal companies, creating the ripple effect of mine closings and ultimately forcing residents to "settle" on corrections to the landscape that do not equal the regulations (11). In assessments by higher authorities, such as the EPA, coal companies in West Virginia have been cited in the triple digits for violations in valley fill-ins (13). The EPA has estimated that approximately 700 miles of freshwater streams and creeks have been filled in by coal sludge, ash, and overburden (top layer of removal including top-soil and plant life), despite the provision in SMCRA that forbids the disruption of active streams (8,13). Large-scale environmental effects include habitat fragmentation, pollution of groundwater due to sulfur and coal sludge, and air pollution due to coal ash and coke-production.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Environmental effects
The above image shows three phases of surface mines in Charleston County, WV (12). Displayed are terracing, flattening, and valley fill-in, all stages of surface mining (8). Under the SMCRA regulations, land must be returned to its "approximate original contour" after mining, however the Department of Environmental Protection does not enforce the regulations, causing residents to file civil suits against the coal companies, creating the ripple effect of mine closings and ultimately forcing residents to "settle" on corrections to the landscape that do not equal the regulations (11). In assessments by higher authorities, such as the EPA, coal companies in West Virginia have been cited in the triple digits for violations in valley fill-ins (13). The EPA has estimated that approximately 700 miles of freshwater streams and creeks have been filled in by coal sludge, ash, and overburden (top layer of removal including top-soil and plant life), despite the provision in SMCRA that forbids the disruption of active streams (8,13). Large-scale environmental effects include habitat fragmentation, pollution of groundwater due to sulfur and coal sludge, and air pollution due to coal ash and coke-production.
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