A projector flashes gruesome scenes of blasted mountaintops onto a lowered screen. Miles upon miles of what looks like exposed sinew and bone appear only to be replaced by another image similar to that of a crime scene investigation.
The crime? Mountaintop removal.
'Voices of the Mountains,' a panel on mountaintop removal held at the Baker Center was made up of a scientist, activist, lawyer, and lobbyist, all bringing different perspectives on a common idea -- mountain top removal must end.
Dr. Michael McKinney, UT geology professor with more than 20 years of experience in his field, was the first member of the panel to speak. As the scientist on the matter, McKinney explained the process and consequences behind mountaintop removal.
Mountaintop removal is a process by which miners blast the mountains open and, once the mountains are exposed, reach in and extract the coal within. This process leaves many devastating traces behind, including debris run-offs into valleys, destruction of native forests and the disappearance of ancient mountains.
This is not a magic trick, however. The mountains do not reappear when the act is complete. Instead, the coal companies try to resurrect the dead with a zombie-like outcome called reclamation. Cow pastures dot the rolling hills where old growth forest covered mountains once stood.
"What happens is that the excess materials get crushed and placed back onto the mountain with grass seed." McKinney said." They have to compact the soil for little erosion; however, this makes it hard for trees to grow. Also, this accelerates run-off and increases flooding."
There's an upside to mountaintop removal, according to McKinney. America needs a lot of electricity and since the U.S. holds one fourth of all the world's coal, we have plenty of resources to keep electricity flowing.
The majority of coal energy actually comes from the Appalachian region comprised of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. These are the mountains being eradicated for a moment's electricity.
McKinney puts the figures into perspective. "One mine provides the U.S. with 3.37 hours of electricity for the year. If we were to use all of the mountains in West Virginia, we could supply the U.S. with only nine hours of electricity per year for a few years."
Those mountains are a big price to pay for Americans, and not everyone believes the U.S. can afford something as irreversible as the death of the mountains.
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