Coal mining is a topic that has always been around me. Everyone knows about it; everyone talks about it; everyone has an opinion on it. Some people praise it; some people wish the industry would crash and burn into the ground. It all depends on who you seek out.
Personally, I’ve never supported or rejected the idea of coal mining. In my mind, it is just some industry in life that people will fight over constantly as to whether or not it is necessary to the economy or not. I’ve always been comfortable with this mindset. Never questioning, just letting it be.
Recently, I was exposed to the movie, The Last Mountain. It brought to my attention the matter of mountaintop removal, a method to coal mining that I was very unfamiliar with. When the idea of mountaintop removal was presented to me, I found the concept fairly reasonable. I mean, what’s wrong with the idea of peeling away the layers of the mountain to gather the coal instead of sending miners down into the hearts of mountains, where they are at more of a risk of never seeing the light of day again? With that idea alone, I was okay with it.
Then the documentary progressed. I saw how terrible the effects were. I saw how harmful it was towards the environment. It appeared that for each incision into the mountain, the poisoned blood flooded the operating area and caused an infection to spread. None were safe. Then, the earth is laid back down on the mountain in an attempt to restore it to its former glory. Sure, the illusion may be laid out that this is the same mountain, but upon further inspection, one can clearly see that it is not the same.
Now, I understand that this documentary was leaning towards supporting the downfall of mountaintop removal. Yet, I find myself unwilling to place all my support into that pool. Those that support mountaintop removal also toss out valid points. Alas, there so begins the battle. Both sides have points that are positive and negative. Before I even attempt to toss in my standing, if at all, I must know more on this.
~Chandra
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