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Thanks, Visvaldis - Silas House, writer of this editorial and many books set in his native Kentucky, knows whereof he writes. Kentucky is blessed to claim him as hers.
If the aerial photography of eastern Kentucky on mapping programs doesn't change your mind to stop mountaintop removal, nothing will.
Yup. Here's a before/after aerial view I did myself on a big piece of property my family owned. It looks small from this high up, but its a HUGE area (prob around 100 acres):
2004 Before
2008 After
My family has visited the property & it still looks like this. The company that did it lied to us & said it would be reclaimed & be "as good as it was before". Well, its years later & this land is basically still unlivable.
Oh, and to top it off, this the particular company that did the mining is now going bankrupt & probably shutting down. Ain't that something. This kind of thing happens ALL THE TIME around here & no one seems like they give a damn.
Seriously, it wasn't exactly my call, but if I had known it would have turned out like this, I would have NEVER been OK with them doing this. This is actually one of the things that got me so passionate about stopping this. Because when you see & experience it first hand, its a big wakeup call.
Kerry, thanks so much for posting this extremely graphic illustration of why so many oppose mountaintop removal. I am so very sorry for your family's loss, which of course is also a loss to many outside your family as well. So many coal companies engaged in this appalling practice post extremely low reclamation bonds, then go out of business (or open under another name!) before doing any real reclamation at all. Yet our state government seems to be in the pocket of the coal industry, without regard for long-term considerations or current effects on our land and people. Deplorable...
Kerry, thanks so much for posting this extremely graphic illustration of why so many oppose mountaintop removal. I am so very sorry for your family's loss, which of course is also a loss to many outside your family as well. So many coal companies engaged in this appalling practice post extremely low reclamation bonds, then go out of business (or open under another name!) before doing any real reclamation at all. Yet our state government seems to be in the pocket of the coal industry, without regard for long-term considerations or current effects on our land and people. Deplorable...
You're welcome. I was hesitant to post it, but in the end thought it would be best to share my experience. But there are literally hundreds of aerials just like this floating around the internet. Here's a good Flickr set: Aerial Photography: flights courtesy of SouthWings - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmemorialforthemountains/sets/72157594303835554/detail/ - broken link)
One thing I'm certain of is that energy companies are the scum of the Earth. They'd dig up their own grandmothers if it meant getting to some coal or oil to sell to us. Yeah, they give us energy & thats great & all, but at what cost? We're screwing up our mountains, poisoning our streams/rivers, we've got the Gulf down there with God knows what floating around in it, etc. And not a damn thing gets done about it. And in the end, they get rich, but guess who suffers?? Us.
Its so obvious these energy companies have the politicians fit snugly in their back pockets. Just look at the comments & actions our own Gov has made. And no heads rolled at BP either. Whatta joke.
This is why we HAVE to start getting on board with energy independence & making our own from solar, wind, whatever. Its not about being "green" or being a "hippie" or some Liberal agenda or whatever else some shill on the radio tries to label it. It's about breaking free from these god damn tyrants who hold our lives in their hands.
Its time to stop it. And if we know how, then we need to do it.
No - the $ leaves the area and is not reinvested, it is very hard on the environment and we have nat gas (which is not perfect but better than most options)
OK First of all, you jackasses that dont live in Appalachia Region obiviously have NO CLUE how much coal mining means to the people that live in the area and how much they ARE supported!!! My Father-in-Law is a STRIP MINER!!!!!! He takes great pride in what he does and how he has supported his family for the last 30 YEARS!!! What some people dont understand is that YES the EPA can show up on ANY of these Strip mines and when they do they will go all over that site and if they find anything that doesnt meet their standards then they fine them..... If they find that the mine is NOT abiding by their regulations then they WILL SHUT THEM DOWN until that particullar job site is back up to regulation, then they are put on a 5 year probation! If the EPA goes back up there and finds ANYTHING out of place then they WILL BE SHUT DOWN!!! Now you people want to sit behind your little computer and run your mouth about something you know NOTHING about first hand, and you think you are hot sh*t because you can Google something and put facts up, then go right on ahead!!! You people don't seem to understand that all these people that go out into the mines and dig out all this coal are keeping your lights on!! Dont believe me then Google "How is the majority of the electric on the east coast produced?" And see what that pulls up!! Eastern Ky is very beautiful and I love the fact that most of my friends that live there are involved in coal mining!!! You can ask just about any woman whose husband is a coal miner how they feel about them going either to or into the mines everyday and I gurentee that they will tell you that they are scared to death that they wont come home but they are VERY and I mean VERY PROUD of them for what they do!! I dont see anybody running out and buying a Hybrids because you are polluting the air that we breathe!! I sure the hell dont hear anybody making a big stink about the trash YOU know you have thrown out of your car window that winds up in our lakes and streams!! People in Eastern Ky take real pride on how they make a living, and to some of them its all they know!! I take pride knowing that MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY are keeping my lights on (as I sit here proudly wearing my FRIEND OF COAL tshirt!). I guess you people really dont understand the danger these men put their lives in do you?? But I tell you what go thru your entire house and shut everything off including your deep freezer and your refridgerator and stay home just like that for a few days and then we will see how much you enjoy having your electric on!! Here you want some facts about coal mining and how many jobs it provides then here check this out I DARE YOU !!! [url=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Coal_and_jobs_in_the_United_States #Total_coal-related_jobs]Coal and jobs in the United States - SourceWatch[/url] Just another fact it is FEDERAL REGULATION that when coal companies are done strip mining they are REQUIRED BY LAW to as they call it "Make it green again!". YOU don't know how full of pride these people in Eastern Ky are of their heritage, but I do!!
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This kind of thing happens ALL THE TIME around here & no one seems like they give a damn.
