1. Appalachian Voices: The Lifecycle of Coal and Working for a Greener Future
Elizabeth “Lee” Payne
AmeriCorps Communications Associate
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Molly Moore
Managing Editor for The Appalachian Voice
AmeriCorps Project Conserve

2. Formation of Coal There are four stages in coal formation:
Peat: Partially decomposed organic matter (plants buried under water)
Lignite: Formed after peat is buried under sediment
Bituminous Coal: “Soft” coal, results from further pressure and time
Anthracite: “Hard” coal, results from further pressure, high temperatures, and time.
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3. Locations of Coal
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4. History of Coal Extraction
Following the Civil War ( ) the U.S. entered a period of industrial expansion and coal was a major fuel for this development
Coal has been a significant source for employment and revenue in “Coal Country” and continues to be a source of high paying jobs (though far fewer than in previous decades)
Any discussion of environmental issues surrounding coal needs to be mindful of those who earn their livelihood working in the coal fields.

5. Appalachian Voices and Coal
Appalachian Voices focuses primarily on the Appalachian regions of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina.
Coal mining and coal power plants are scattered throughout the region.

6. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Kayford Mountain, WV. Photo courtesy of Appalachian Voices

7. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
A method of coal mining practiced in Appalachia since the 1970s that grew in scale after 2002 with a change to the Clean Water Act.
Occurring primarily in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee
Source: ilovemountains.org

8. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Source: ilovemountains.org

9. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
A method of coal mining practiced in Appalachia since the 1970s that grew in scale after 2002 with a change to the Clean Water Act
Occurring primarily in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee
Coal companies adopted this technique because it allows for nearly all of the coal to be mined, while using only a fraction of the work force.
More than 500 mountains and over 2000 miles of streams have been destroyed
Source: ilovemountains.org

10. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Clearing “Before mining can begin, all topsoil and vegetation must be removed. Because coal companies frequently are responding to short-term fluctuations in the price of coal, the trees are often not used commercially, but instead are burned or sometimes illegally dumped into valleys.”
Source: ilovemountains.org

11. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Blasting “Many Appalachian coal seams lie deep beneath the surface of the mountains. Accessing these seams can require the removal of 600 feet or more of elevation. Blowing up this much mountain is accomplished by using millions of pounds of explosives.”
Source: ilovemountains.org

12. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Digging “Coal and debris are removed using enormous earth-moving machines known as draglines, which stand 22 stories high and can hold 24 compact cars their buckets. These machines can cost up to $100 million, but are favored by coal companies because they displace the need for hundreds of miners.”
Source: ilovemountains.org

13. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
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14. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Dumping Waste “In 2002, the Bush Administration changed the definition of “fill material” in the Clean Water Act to include toxic mining waste, which allowed coal companies to legally dump the debris, called “overburden” or “spoil,” into nearby valleys. These “valley fills” have buried more than 2,000 miles of headwater streams and polluted many more.”
Source: ilovemountains.org

15. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Processing “Coal must be chemically treated before it is shipped to power plants for burning. This processing creates coal slurry, or sludge, a mix of water, coal dust and clay containing toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, lead and chromium. The coal slurry is often dumped in open impoundments, sometimes built with mining debris, making them very unstable.”
Source: ilovemountains.org

16. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Reclamation “While reclamation efforts are required by federal law, coal companies often receive waivers from state agencies with the idea that economic development will occur on the newly flattened land. In reality, most sites receive little more than a spraying of exotic grass seed, and less than 3 percent of reclaimed mountaintop removal sites are used for economic development.”
Source: ilovemountains.org

17. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Photo courtesy of Appalachian Voices

18. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Hoover Knob, WV, Photo courtesy of iLoveMountains.org.

19. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Sheep Knob, WV, Photo courtesy of iLoveMountains.org.

20. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Raleigh Co., WV, Photo courtesy of iLoveMountains.org.

21. Cleaning Up Coal Ash
Coal Ash Pond at Buck Steam Station, near Salisbury, NC.
Photo courtesy of appvoices.org

22. Cleaning Up Coal Ash
“Coal ash is the toxic byproduct of burning coal for electricity.”
“Every year, coal plants across the United States generate 140 million tons of coal ash, making it the second largest waste stream in the U.S.”
“There are 25 heavy metals — including arsenic, mercury, lead and selenium — and other dangerous chemicals found in coal ash.”
Although coal ash is a toxic and hazardous material, it is not regulated as such.
Source appalachianvoices.org

23. Cleaning Up Coal Ash
“Coal ash is stored across the country in excavated pits (ponds) and landfills, and coal ash wastewater is legally and illegally discharged into rivers and lakes. It also seeps into groundwater from faulty landfills and is carried by the wind into surrounding communities.”
Source appalachianvoices.org

24. Cleaning Up Coal Ash
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25. Cleaning Up Coal Ash
Asheville Power Plant and Coal Ash Containment Ponds, on French Broad River
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26. Cleaning Up Coal Ash
“Coal ash is stored across the country in excavated pits (ponds) and landfills, and coal ash wastewater is legally and illegally discharged into rivers and lakes. It also seeps into groundwater from faulty landfills and is carried by the wind into surrounding communities.”
Two recent coal ash spills highlight the risks these containment facilities can pose to the surrounding communities.
Source appalachianvoices.org

27. “On Monday, December 23, 2008, a massive dam at the Kingston coal- fired power plant in Harriman, Tenn., ruptured and spilled 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash into the Clinch and Emory rivers.”
Source appalachianvoices.org.
Photo

28. “On February 2, 2014, a stormwater pipe at a shuttered coal-fired power plant in Eden, N.C., collapsed, sending 39,000 tons of coal ash and 27 million gallons of contaminated water into the Dan River.”
Source

29. Cleaning Up Coal Ash
Appalachian Voices is working with local communities to help monitor contamination from these sites, and they are working to push for stricter safety regulations to control how the coal ash is stored.
Source appalachianvoices.org

30. For more information and to learn how you can help, visit appalachianvoices.org

31. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Play Appalachian Voices video on Mountaintop Removal

32. Economic Diversification
New Economy for Appalachia
Based in Norton, Va, in the heart of coal country in southwest Virginia
“Our goals are based on community engagement, economic diversification, clean energy growth, and land restoration.”
Source appalachianvoices.org

33. Economic Diversification
POWER+ plan
“A component of the White House’s proposed federal budget that would bring billions of dollars to Appalachia for a host of economic development opportunities.”
Healing the Land
“The use of federal funds to help communities transform abandoned mine lands and other industrial “brownfields” into sites for sensible economic development such as sustainable agriculture and forestry, advanced manufacturing facilities and public parks.”
Source appalachianvoices.org

34. Energy Savings Active campaign in North Carolina
“common-sense, strategic plan to promote energy efficiency programs in a way that benefits the people, economy and environment of Appalachia”
On-Bill Financing
Already being adopted in Tenn.
Allows for homeowners to make their homes more efficient while also saving money on their power bill
Focuses on rural electric cooperatives.
Source appalachianvoices.org

35. History of Appalachian Voices
Founded in
The Appalachian Voice newspaper first published in by the Sierra Club of the Southern Appalachian Highlands
In 1997, the club became Appalachian Voices
Mission: “Appalachian Voices brings people together to protect the land, air and water of central and southern Appalachia.”
Focus: Reducing coal’s impact on the region and working towards a cleaner energy future.

36. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of mountaintop removal: “Mountaintop removal/valley fill is a mining practice where the tops of mountains are removed, exposing the seams of coal. Mountaintop removal can involve removing 500 feet or more of the summit to get at buried seams of coal. The earth from the mountaintop is then dumped in the neighboring valleys.”
Source: ilovemountains.org