Scientists Demand End to Mountain Decapitation; Mining Projects Creep Forward Anyway
A new, comprehensive analysis of mountaintop removal mining, which is common in the Appalachian region of the United States, shows that its environmental effects extend to the hydrology of its surroundings, ruining streams and the ecosystems they support. Technically known as "mountaintop mining with valley fills" (MTM/VF), it consists of stripping away forests and topsoil from the tops of mountains and then using explosives to break through rocks that cover the coal inside the mountain. The resulting rocks are then pushed away into valleys, where they interfere with and often bury existing streams. It's not all that surprising that clean water, and a lot of it, is important to ecosystems; research shows that if these activities disrupt as little as 5-10 percent of a watershed's area, they can cause irreversible changes to the ecosystem. The reduced flow of streams that get buried by valley fills can kill off plants and trees in an area with high biodiversity. This loss of flora also results in a l
Scientists Demand End to Mountain Decapitation; Mining Projects Creep Forward Anyway
Mountaintop removal--the aptly-named mining practice that blasts away peaks ...
Fri 8 Jan 10 from Discover Magazine
Eminent group of scientists call for moratorium on issuance of mountaintop mining permits
Based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific findings and new data, a group of the nation's leading environmental scientists are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ...
Thu 7 Jan 10 from Phys.org
Eminent Group Of Scientists Call For Moratorium On Issuance Of Mountaintop Mining Permits, Thu 7 Jan 10 from RedOrbit
Pressure builds against mountaintop coal mining
The Obama administration, which has pledged to heed scientific expertise on the issue, should reject all new mountaintop removal permits, scientists say, citing environmental and health effects. ...
Fri 8 Jan 10 from L.A. Times
Time to ban mountaintop mining due to externalized costs
A new, comprehensive analysis of mountaintop removal mining, which is common in the Appalachian region of the United States, shows that its environmental effects extend to the hydrology ...
Thu 7 Jan 10 from Ars Technica
Call for ban on mountaintop mining
Analysis of damage done leaves Obama no choice but to ban the highly destructive practice, say the authors of a new studyMountaintop mining should be banned for causing vast and permanent destruction ...
Thu 7 Jan 10 from Guardian.co.uk
Scientists call for an end to mountaintop removal mining in the US
A group of scientists have called for the Obama Administration to place a moratorium on infamous mountain top mining due to "growing scientific evidence" of severe environmental degradation ...
Thu 7 Jan 10 from Mongabay.com
Scientists call for an end to mountaintop removal mining in the US, Thu 7 Jan 10 from Mongabay.com
Should The EPA Ban Mountaintop Mining?
Writing in the January 8 issue of Science, a group of environmental scientists is calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to stay all new mountaintop ...
Thu 7 Jan 10 from Scientific Blogging
Scientists call for moratorium on issuance of mountaintop mining permits
Based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific findings, a group of the nation's leading environmental scientists are calling on the US EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers to ...
Fri 8 Jan 10 from ScienceDaily
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