Note: please note that this issue brief should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you. 

Link here to the Mountaintop Removal overview page.

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

• In 2007 it is estimated that 377 million tons of coal was mined in the Appalachian region.^[1] This is approximately 1/3 of United States total production.

• Since the development of mountiantop removal, over 470 mountains have been destroyed.^[2] The EPA estimates that by 2012, 2,200 square miles (5,700 square kilimeters) of Appalachian forests will no longer exist.^[3] Community impacts range from the contamination of local drinking water to high rates in asthma.^[4]

• The process of mountaintop removal involves pushing overburden into adjacent valleys causing 'Valley Fills,' where vital headwater streams are located.^[5] It is recorded that 1,200 miled of Appalachian headwater streams have been buried through this process.^[6] Valley fills along with increased erosion also contribute to excess flooding within the region.^[7]

• Over 500 square miles of the world's most biodiverse temperate forests have been destroyed by mountaintop removal.^[8]

Past Policy  key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.

• Clean Water Act, U.S.C. 1251^[9]

• The Clean Water Act (CWA) was established to regulate the discharge of pollutants into the U.S. water systems along with setting quality standards for surface waters.

• Under the CWA, permits are required to discharge a pollutant from a point source into waterways.

• Signed by Richard Nixon, 1972

• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (need footnote)
• Through this Act, a program was established to regulate surface mining activities and the reclamation of already coal-mined land which is done under the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, in the Department of the Interior.
• "The law sets forth minimum uniform requirements for all coal surface mining on Federal and State lands, including exploration activities and the surface effects of underground mining. Mine opreators are required to minimize disturbances and adverse impact on fish, wildlife and related environmental values and achieve enhancement of such resources where practicable. Restoration of land and water resources is ranked as a priority in reclamation planning."
• Approved: August 3, 1977

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Halts Permits

• On March 25, 2009, the EPA put a halt to over a hundred mountaintop removal mining permits.

• The United States Environmental Protection Agency has sent letters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality caused by certain types of coal mining practices, such as mountaintop mining.^[10]

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

• Government Agencies

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):  Government Institution created in 1970 to protect human health and the environment. (footnote)

• Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460 | website 

• Elected Leaders
• Representative Pallone, Frank Jr.  (D - NJ  | website 
• Senator Lamar Alexander (R - TN) |   website 
• Senator Ben Cardin (D - MD)  | website
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Appalachian Voices  |  website
• 191 Howard St., Boone, NC 28607 | Phone: (828) 262-1500, Toll Free: 1-877-APP-VOICE 
• Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards:  Virginia organization against mountaintop removal
• P.O. Box 352, Big Stone Gap, VA 24219 | Phone: (276) 523-4380  | Website

                              Email: samsva@gmail.com

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

Footnotes

1. Natural Resources Defense Council. 2009. No More Mountaintop Removal. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/a883dc3da7094f97852572a00065d7d8/bd03fe27c0c12718852575830062f672!OpenDocument. June 28, 2009. ▲
2. Mountain Justice. 2009. Southern Appalachian Stewards. http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/facts/steps.php. July 1, 2009. ▲
3. USA Today. 2007. Mining battle marked by peaks and valleys. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-18-mines_N.htm. July 1, 2009. ▲
4. Mountain Justice. 2009. Southern Appalachian Stewards. http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/facts/steps.php. July 1, 2009. ▲
5. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2008. Introduction to the Clean Water Act. http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/. July, 1, 2009 ▲
6. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2009. Mountaintop Mining/Valley Fills in Appalachia: Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. http://www.epa.gov/region03/mtntop/index.htm. July 1, 2009 ▲
7. Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative. 2009. Trees for Appalachia's Future. http://arri.osmre.gov/. July 1, 2009 ▲
8. Natural Resources Defense Council. 2009. No More Mountaintop Removal. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/a883dc3da7094f97852572a00065d7d8/bd03fe27c0c12718852575830062f672!OpenDocument. June 28, 2009. ▲
9. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2008. Introduction to the Clean Water Act. http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/. July, 1, 2009 ▲
10. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2009. EPA Acts to Reduce Harmful Impacts from Coal Mining. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/a883dc3da7094f97852572a00065d7d8/bd03fe27c0c12718852575830062f672!OpenDocument. June 29, 2009 ▲