Removing mountaintop removal

North Carolina bill would ban burning of coal from mountaintop-removal mining

Posted by Kate Sheppard at 4:29 AM on 29 May 2008

On Tuesday, North Carolina State Rep. Pricey Harrison introduced legislation in the state House that would ban the burning of coal obtained through mountaintop-removal mining. If it passes, North Carolina would become the first state in the nation with such a law.

The mining method isn't practiced in North Carolina, but 61 percent of the state's power comes from coal; North Carolina is second only to Georgia in the amount of MTR-mined coal it burns. According to Appalachian Voices, a group devoted to ending the controversial and destructive mining practice, 13 power plants in North Carolina buy coal from mountaintop-removal mine sites. Most of it comes from nearby West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia.

MTR blasts off mountaintops for the purpose of extracting coal, wiping out biodiverse forest habitats and permanently scarring the world's oldest mountains. The debris left over from the blasts is usually dumped in nearby streams; according to the U.S. EPA, more than 700 miles of streams have been completely buried by mountaintop-removal debris, and thousands of others have been damaged. MTR also causes myriad health problems for nearby residents, in part because mine waste contaminates water supplies.

Rep. Pricy Harrison Harrison, a Democrat who represents Guilford County, told Grist she learned about the hazards of the practice by doing a flyover of West Virginian mountains that had been destroyed by MTR, and by watching the documentary Mountain Top Removal. Since there aren't regions in her state likely to be affected by the practice, banning the burning of MTR coal seemed like the most logical way to take action.

"I thought this was a pretty abhorrent practice," says Harrison. "[I] wanted to send a signal to folks in West Virginia and Kentucky that we object to the way they're being treated and we're not going to put up with it."

She equated her bill to a measure the state legislature passed last year that required the state's pension funds to divest all holdings in companies that do business in Darfur.

"We can't really impact policy in Darfur, but we can sure limit our investment in Darfur," says Harrison. "So why don't we impact policy this way in West Virginia by saying we find these practices objectionable, so we're not going to participate in the funding?"

Harrison, who was one of the sponsors of the legislation that enacted the first renewable portfolio standard in the Southeast last year, said she expects it will be quite a while before legislation like this could pass. The RPS took two years, and there isn't likely to be any movement on the MTR bill until January 2009 at the earliest, she says. Still, Harrison hopes her legislation will inspire others.

"I think if enough states got together and did this, then it would create momentum and give some courage to policy makers in West Virginia who might otherwise feel beholden to Big Coal," she says. "We're destroying a heritage in Appalachia, so I just hope we can send a signal that this is not acceptable, and this has got to stop."

For story: Removing mountaintop removal
7 Comments | Post a Comment

Thank you!

Thank you, Representative Harrison, from a citizen of West Virginia. I hope you make headway with your efforts.

by mwildfire at 5:18 AM on 29 May 2008

How likely to pass?...

...coal from mines is more expensive than coal from MTR, so most likely the nay-sayers will cry "taxes" and "energy price increase". Coal also has deep pockets in N.C.

Also, I wonder how they would certify that the coal didn't come from MTR and came from mines instead?

by Tasermons Partner at 8:36 AM on 29 May 2008

really good

I bet the flyover she did was courtesy of SouthWings out of Asheville.

This is another nice shot over the bow of MTR.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more

by Erik Hoffner at 9:41 AM on 29 May 2008

Thank you Pricey!

We are so lucky to have Rep. Harrison in our state house!

by Fawn Pattison at 11:40 AM on 29 May 2008

Right On

Hopefully this will pass, and sooner rather than later. All states should pass legislation banning coal use from this totally evil process, which would stop it. All mining is immorally destructive, but mountaintop removal mining is the worst of it.

by Wolverine at 12:23 PM on 29 May 2008

Appalachian Mountain Preservation Act

In answer to tasermons partner(s)question "How likely to pass?...," and the concern about coal from deep mines being to expensive are also addressed by the fact that coal from out west (powder river basin)is 1/7th the cost per ton, compared to coal from central appalachia.

Tasermons Partner is astute, and recognizes that this concern will be the talking point for the electric power industry. The truth in the matter probably lies in Duke Power's testimony just last year in front of the NC Utilities Commission when they were seeking approval to build another coal-burning power plant near Charlotte. Speaking on behalf of Duke Energy, Mr. William McCollum told the commission that not only were coal prices likely to remain low and stable, but that Duke could obtain coal from a variety of sources - not just from the Central Appalachian Basin.

Mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia is terrorism - pure and simple.

by lennykohm at 3:11 PM on 29 May 2008

You go, Rep. Harrison

She's pretty cool, and is a leader on these issues in all sorts of ways. I agree -- we're so happy to have her in our legislature.

by GreenMom at 9:50 PM on 29 May 2008

ADVERTISING POLICY

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.