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Health impacts of coal mining
Negative and positive impacts of coal mining
Negative and positive impacts of coal mining
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Recommended: Health impacts of coal mining
Introduction
Coal mining in the United States is a major industry. In 2012, the coal mining industry employed nearly 90,000 people [1]. The Black Mesa Complex in Northern Arizona consists of two seperate coal mines, the Kayenta mine and the Black Mesa coal mines. Both mines are owned and operated by Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC). The mines are located 10 miles southwest of Kayenta, AZ. The Kayenta mine is 40,000 acres (62.5 square miles), employs 430 workers [2], and is the 27th largest mine in the United States, producing nearly 7.5 million short tons of coal per year [1]. The Black Mesa mine is located a few miles to the west of the Kayenta Mine. Operations at the Black Mesa coal mine haulted in 2005 when a court order shut down the powerplant that the coal from the mine fed. While the mine was active it produced 5 million tons of coal per year [3] and employed 360 workers [4].
Although coal mining is important to local and global economies, there are many environmental impacts of both the mining and use of coal that must be considered. Actions can be taken to mitigate these environmental impacts but it is up to scientists to identify these potential problems and put plans into action before it is too late.
Environmental Setting and Vegetation
Peabody Western Coal Company’s Kayenta coal mine is located on the northeastern portion of Black Mesa (a mountainous mesa on the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona). Elevations range from 6,600’ to 7,200’. Precipitation ranges from 7” to (“ per year with temperatures from -15oF to 100oF. The area is characterized by gentle to steep rolling hills dissected by deep valleys. The geology is dominated by scoreia, interbedded sandstones, and shale. Topsoil is very deep in the valle...
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...es, "Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine: An Economic Impact Study," Arizona State University, 2012.
[3] W. Johns, Diverse Coalition of Tribal and Conservation Groups Appeal Peabody's Illegal Permit for Black Mesa Coal Mine, Center for Biological Diversity, 2009.
[4] Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, "Proposed Permit Application, Black Mesa-Kayenta Mine, Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, Arizona," U.S. Department of the Interior, Denver, CO, 1990.
[5] E. Bronston, "Geographic Information Systems at Peabody Western Coal Company's Black Mesa Complex," in Geospatial Conference, 2004.
[6] Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, "Black Mesa Project Final Environmental Impact Statement," U.S. Deparment of the Interior, Washington DC, 2008.
[7] M. Squillace, The Strip Mining Handbook, Environmental Policy Institute, 1990.
As part of his campaign for Governor, Dwight Green had promised to enforce mining laws. In 1941 Governor Green appointed Robert Medill as Director of the Department of Mines and Minerals. The Mining Board makes the p...
In the 79 years the mines were open 1.7 million metric tons (3.75 billion pounds) of lead and 8.8 million metric tons (19.4 billion pounds) of zinc were withdrawn from the mine (2). The entire area around Tar Creek is known as the tri-state mining area. This tri-state area is a massive source of metals. This area accounted for 35% of the worldwide metal market for a decade. It also provided the majority of metals the United States used in World wars I and II (3).
Removal of the mountaintops causes environmental impacts from blasting. The blasting has caused rocks to be deposited into valleys on the hillsides, burying almost 2,000 miles of streams which feed the Mississippi River. Slurry, the residue which is used to clean the coal can wash into groundwater and may contain arsenic, lead, manganese, iron, sodium, strontium, and sulfate. A recent research study is beginning to link these environmental impacts to the grave health concerns in the Appalachian communities. During most of the Mountaintop removal mining’s history coal industries have been able to obtain permits easily to operate, but once under the Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) those permits now take more time to obtain. The permit process requires all applications to be reviewed before being given out to coal
Grinde, Donald, and Bruce Johansen. Ecocide of Native America: Environmental Destruction of Indian Lands and Peoples. Santa Fe, NM: Clear Light Publishers, 1995. Print.
Colorado has an astonishing 23,000 abandoned mine lands. However, long-term mining impacts on ecosystems and ecosystem recovery are not well understood. Studies show that mining activity increases sediment erosion and exposes large amounts of heavy metals that can runoff into nearby lakes. Increased sedimentation and heavy metal pollution can have long-term impacts on surrounding ecosystems. Water and vegetation resources from the surrounding area are used to help power the mine which can result in high levels of deforestation and water level change. Miners also live in the area surrounding the mine and rely on natural resources for their survival. Even after a mine has been abandoned and activity has stopped, acid mine drainage can continue
Mesa Verde National Park, established in 1906 by President Roosevelt, is a part of the Colorado Plateau and lies in the Southwestern corner of Colorado. The park covers about eighty-one square miles and the entire Mesa Verde area which contains the park, is about five hundred and twenty square miles. (nationalparkguru.com) The park was established as a “national park” to protect archaeological sites made from the ancestral Anasazi (Puebloan) people who built cliff dwellings within alcoves in the walls of the canyons. The park is the biggest preserved area for archaeological sites in the United States. Mesa Verde has many different geological
Kenneth R. Wright is the Chief engineer at Wright Water Engineers in Denver and is an expert Paleo-Hydrologist at Machu Picchu and Mesa Verde
Introduction The Navajo Nation's geology makes it one of the richest deposit sites for uranium and other nonrenewable resources. Uranium is a naturally occurring element in trace amounts in the earth’s crust and has been used for many different purposes. In the last century, the uranium ore was used extensively by the federal government for atomic energy defenses. Uranium mine operators removed nearly four million tons of ore from 1944 to 1986, resulting in 520 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation (Maldonado 2005).
Blakey, R. C. (1996). Geologic history of western us. Informally published manuscript, Northern Arizona Univ, Flagstaff, AZ, Retrieved from http://www.jan.ucc.nau.edu
Henry, C.D., Tyler, N., 1998, Geology of Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas: Texas Parks and Wildlife Press, 72 pp.
The 3M Company out of Minnesota has proposed the construction of a mine on property that the company owns in Shasta County California near the City of Shasta Lake. The property that would be containing the mine is approximately 1900 acres. The focus of the mine would be on sand and gravel but permitting and mine construction could take as long as three years. It is assumed that the mine will be capable of working at full capacity for XXXX years after it becomes fully operational.
...ts. In: Regional and Specific Deposits Volume 9 in Handbook of Strata-bound and Stratiform Ore Deposits, 9:77-178.
...ch supplies. In the article Environmental Racism, Tribal Sovereignty and Nuclear Waste, Bullcreek, one of the Indians who lives on Utah reservation said, "The real issue is not the money. The real issue is who we are as Native Americans and what we believe in. If we accept these wastes, we're going to lose our tradition." The government should not intrude on the Native Americans’ traditions and culture by placing waste or hazardous facilities on or near their reservations. These government agencies and organizations do not know what their traditions are; however, in Environmental Justice in Indian Country, it is acknowledged that the first step to creating healthier living conditions is knowing what is relevant to the community. Assessments are regularly done without consulting the community about what is important and what risks or impacts need to be assessed.
In our days, mining for resources is inevitable. The resources we need are valuable in everyday life. Such resources mined up are coal, copper, gold, silver, and sand. However, mining poses environmental risks that can degrade the quality of soil and water, which can end up effecting us humans if not taken care of and many of the damages are irreversible once they have occurred.
Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI). (2011, December). Shining light on a bright opportunity: developing solar energy on abandoned mine lands. Retrieved from the Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov