be replaced, which is known as the Compensatory Mitigation Plan. The film also fails to quantify the fact that there are three types of streams that occur, with some being more important to conserve than others. The 2,000-mile figure is misleadingly alarmist, as most valley fills are placed within streams that are intermittent, seasonal streams, or ephemeral streams caused by snowmelt or rainfall. Very rarely are fills placed within perennial, ever-flowing streams. Numerous safeguards also exist to protect groundwater resources. Before and during mining operations, operators are required under SMCRA to monitor groundwater levels, infiltration rates, subsurface flow, storage characteristics, and the quality of the groundwater in their assessment of the probable hydrologic consequences of mining. In addition, operators must include a detailed description of how they intend to protect the quality and quantity of groundwater resources in their reclamation plan. If these requirements are not met, the operator must agree to provide an alternate water source.
applalachian MountainS Image : photos.com
Conclusion Although The Last Mountain is a thinly veiled attempt to demonize coal and promote wind energy, the filmmakers are unfortunately not alone in their anti-surface mining sentiments. On July 21, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it had finalized the new Clean Water Act guidelines for surface mining activities; under the new rules, the use of valley fills will be severely restricted, and permits will be scrutinized even more rigorously.
If true, these claims would almost certainly empower policymakers and regulators like the Environmental Protection Agency to put an end to the practice of surface mining. But do they match up with reality? The ramifications of this decision for the U.S. economy will be significant. Nearly half of the electricity currently consumed in the United States comes from coal, and according to a study based on U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data, America’s domestic coal mining industry was responsible for 154,000 direct jobs and over 400,000 indirect jobs in 2008. Additionally, the United States has the world’s largest coal reserves at 29 percent of total reserves, and is the world’s second largest coal producer. These figures represent a huge boon to the U.S. in a time of economic
uncertainty, and are certainly a counterpoint to the opinion advanced by Haney and Kennedy that the coal industry is somehow malicious and evildoing. In fact, by not attempting to ground The Last Mountain in factual and scientific information, and instead using citizen activists for information rather than scientists and experts, the filmmakers failed to provide the necessary perspective, scientific rigor, and intellectual honesty needed to convince. u Robin Millican is a public policy associate at the Institute for Energy Research. americancoalonline.com | Issue 2 2011 | American Coal 55