I spent a few days down in West Virginia looking into where we in Ontario get much of our coal. It was eye-opening. If you haven't had time to read the article, then check out the slide-show (same page). It's a Cole's Notes version.
One of the most damaging thing about mountaintop removal coal mining is the valley fills it creates. Basically, they lop the top third of a mountain off and then pitch it all into the valley below.
Some people who live in those valleys are understandably upset about it. And they've started to take the companies, and the government to court -- first for doing it, and then for allowing them to do it.
This has inspired a Pro-Coal group in the area called "Friends of Coal." It's funded by Walker Machinery, a company that's in the business of providing mining equipment -- and fixing it -- for these very mines. The owner of the company, Steve Walker, says the locals opposing the mines "range from uninformed citizens to eco-terrorists." The water coming off these mine sites are "almost completely cleaner than the water that's already there," he says.
And then the biggest threat -- without mining, the state will have to turn to gambling to make money.
His company has funded this ad. It's an enlightening picture of American politics around global warming.
-- Catherine Porter
It's hard to believe no one else has commented on this article, though I've thought of it off and and all week and am just getting around to emailing you. I felt sick when I read about the destruction of mountain tops to fuel our society's appetite for energy, even though I've been a Bullfrog Customer for more than a year. Why not give this green electricity producer some coverage and perhaps save a few mountain tops?
Posted by: Therese Taylor | February 29, 2008 at 11:52 AM
My point is that with all the Canadian coal that we ship to Japan and China why can't we ship some of that to the Eastern Canadian power plants and help create jobs.
They close mines in the Maritimes and then buy coal from the States. Why!!!!!!
Posted by: B. Biggs | March 09, 2008 at 07:19 AM