Mountain Top Removal in Southern West Virginia
The study
area (Figure 1) encompasses portions of 12 counties mainly located in southern West
Virginia. This area has been identified by the WV Geological and Economic Survey as approximate region of present and projected major mountaintop removal
mining activity. The Environmental Protection Agency defines mountaintop removal mining (MTR) as “removal of mountaintops to expose coal seams, and disposing of the associated mining overburden in adjacent valleys – ‘valley fills.’”
Worldwide, habitat destruction is the single greatest threat to species, and MTR mining destroys both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The wholesale removal of all vegetation as a first step in uncovering the coal eliminates habitat for woodland and meadow species.
Worldwide, habitat destruction is the single greatest threat to species, and MTR mining destroys both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The wholesale removal of all vegetation as a first step in uncovering the coal eliminates habitat for woodland and meadow species.
The map in Figure 2 represents the active MTR sites within the study area. The map was created by locating the active MTR sites from county mosaic images and digitizing them by tracing their area shapes on screen. The total area of the Active MRT sites is approximately 71,433 acres.