Few issues have garnered so much public attention as the debate over coal mining and specifically mountaintop removal mining. The debate has riled communities in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia and across the commonwealth. Weighing in on the divided public interest, the Virginia Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources held a public hearing last week for Senate Bill 564 — The Stream Saver Bill. A summary of the bill follows:
“Coal Surface mining, refuse control. Prohibits the issuing of a permit for coal surface mining operations unless the applicant affirmatively demonstrates, and the Director finds in writing, that no spoil, refuse, silt, slurry, tailings, or other waste materials from coal surface mining and reclamation operations will be disposed of in any intermittent, perennial, or ephemeral stream.”
Notwithstanding what various parties believe the intentions of this bill are, at least one thing is true: Mountaintop removal mining is destructive to the natural environment where it occurs and has serious economic, social, and environmental implications in the areas surrounding its practice. Proponents of the bill applaud it as a first step to solving the myriad problems created through mountaintop removal mining. Opponents, namely those in the coal mining industry, believe the bill will completely eliminate all coal mining in Virginia. Here are some facts.
This bill is not intended for shutting down all coal mining in Virginia because a pending amendment would exclude underground mining operations. Surface mining has resulted in the decline of miners employed from hundreds of thousands in the 1950s to tens of thousands today across Appalachia. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Appalachian coal will begin to see a permanent decline in available coal reserves within the next 10 years, resulting in further job losses. Although coal mining is touted as the “lifeblood” of Southwest Virginia, this region continues to experience chronic public health problems and economic depravity. Surface mining proponents claim that all surface mining operations are reclaimed to their natural state or for economic development purposes. However, many old surface mining sites remain infertile or undeveloped.
Supporters of coal mining say opponents offer no alternatives, but alternatives are already here. In 2008, employment within the wind industry (85,000) was comparable to that of coal mining (87,000) and there is still a huge potential for the growing renewable energy sector. Even if Senate Bill 564 does not pass, its consideration and the heated public hearing for it show that Virginia is starting to look toward a more sustainable future. As an institution at the gateway to Appalachia, Virginia Tech should push forward in providing opportunities for the communities of Southwest Virginia as we move away from coal. Let’s invent the right future.
Bryce Carter
senior
humanities, science, and environment major
Matthew Ward
senior
environmental policy and planning major