West Virginia residents have recently been subjected to mountaintop removal, an extreme version of strip mining that essentially blows away the land surrounding individual homes and communities.
Though the removal has been largely isolated in West Virginia thus far, some experts believe that it may soon be a widespread practice, reaching into Virginia and beyond.
In the process of MTR, entire mountaintops are exploded to expose the underlying coal and eventually provide flat land, which is much sought after. This practice gained root in West Virginia to the 1970s, increasing throughout the 1980s. Presently, many companies utilize new machinery in order to supply for the high demand of coal.
Shirley Burns, a doctor of history with a focus in Appalachian studies, is the daughter of an underground coal miner and has a strong interest in coalfields. Burns is also the author of "Bringing down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal on Southern West Virginia Communities," a book that outlines the process and effects of MTR on the people who live near the sites.
"The blasting from MTR can crack foundations, while also causing dust, decimated roads, noise pollution, exodus of inhabitants, slurry impoundments and valley fills," Burns said. "They are bought for their areas to be mined, and are forced to find work and a new home elsewhere."
Jeff Mann, an associate professor of English at Tech and author of "Loving Mountains, Loving Men," also expressed a strong disdain for MTR.
Mann said that with MTR many generations of a family and culture are uprooted. Mann added that it is not environmentally friendly in any sense, and can hurt the area inhabitants.
"I was once shown a (coal slurry) sample, and it was absolutely not drinkable; the stench could fill the room," Mann said. "I was disgusted of the practice because of the effect it has on the people that live there, as well as the environmental destruction."
Coal slurry is a metal-rich mixture of wastewater, along with coal dust, diesel fuel, chromium, arsenic and/or other cleansing agents. Valley fills are typically located at the head of a hollow, and are used to dispose of waste material from a coal operation.
Both of these factors can cause death by different means to those who use the contaminated water or have their homes flooded. There are currently 58 coal slurry impoundments in a nine-county West Virginia region.
"MTR employs fewer people than does traditional mining," Burns said. "It actually costs the state $2.66 billion in reduced forest-growth cost."
Anita Puckett, director of the Appalachian Studies program, gained an interest in mountains and the threats to them through her upbringing.
With her paternal family hailing from the mountain areas, it seemed a natural thing to study.
"Most people are place-oriented and families have been there for eight or nine generations," Puckett said. "When you get that infusion of people onto places like that, it gives a strong sense of who you are."
Aside from culture, Puckett also wants others, including her students, to realize how this particular method of coal mining can harm people.
"It's not just a local issue. More than half of our nation's electricity is generated from coal-burning power plants," Puckett said.
During the Virginia's Power Shift, Mountain Justice Jason Johnson conducted a workshop that discussed the cycle of coal, the effects of returning native Appalachian forests to surface mine sites and myths about clean coal technologies.
West Virginia itself is one of the largest coal producers in the nation, generating 82.3 percent of its total through MTR. Coal burns hotter and cleaner and is easier to mine. Other impacts of MTR, specifically, include land stability problems, blast debris and disrupting the natural shape of mountains.
Mike Abbott is the public relations manager of Virginia's Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. The organization is not an advocate of MTR, but rather a regulatory authority overseeing all mining operations.
"It is our responsibility to see that mining and reclamation and mine safety practices are conducted in compliance with state law," Abbott said.
In order for MTR to happen, permits must be granted. This is a practice common in both Virginia and West Virginia. However, Virginia permits are generally much smaller.
"There are only three permits in Virginia that are in excess of 2,000 acres in size," Abbott said. "But ... the coal reserves are not contiguous and consist of several seams ... that are mined using contour mining or area mining."
With only five true MTR permits in the entire state of Virginia, citizens may say that we have nothing to worry about here in Montgomery County. Puckett disagrees.
"Our history is not that removed from the bituminous fields of West Virginia," Puckett said. "Montgomery and Pulaski County's semi-anthracite reserves could possibly come into play in the near future. What are we going to do when surface mining runs out?"
"This is basically quality of life versus commerce with a lot of larger implications," Mann said. "I don't think most students are aware of this."