Mountaintop Removal Video (intro)

[kuilan619]

this is the saddest video that I've ever seen

I wish they would stop

[pittman514]

Coal keeps the lights on so you can go live without electric for awhile and see how you like it

[Painislife28]

@pittman514 Wind energy can also keep the lights on. And geothermal. We don't need coal.

[loganonamac7]

@pittman514 You know, sometimes I wish people like you would see that coal isn't the only source of power. We have the sun for solar power, the waves for water power, and the wind for wind power. And, we have geothermal energy that will forever lie underneath the earth. So do your research before you make stupid comments. I think you should try using coal for the rest of your life and see how you like the poisoned atmosphere.

[becca994]

Isaiah 11:9 - They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea

[coalvein]

A very tiny fraction of streams are actually covered up from MTR. What you are all calling streams are simply not there until it rains otherwise it's just dry ground. Also it's not as if the entire mountain is completely leveled off with the bottom of the valley, just the top is chopped.

[bullet22mag]

Don't believe the b/s i worked in this type of mine,it is a sin against our country.

[schererart]

I believe in these words by Native American Chief Seattle, "Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." What a pity that some humans call this progress.

[gymnasticsGIRLxoxo]

...woah! how sad! thousands of years making a mountain and a few months to destroy it.

[mawleyanne]

@gymnasticsGIRLxoxo MILLIONS of years. It's so sad.

[Praying4tidalWaves]

obaaaamaaaaaa, makin deals with big coal. way to go america.

[hahnsolo1977]

by the way if you goto the great smoking moutains you can see how they cut and dig on those moutains just to make resorts and other tourist attactions (just to make money, not supply us all with energy)

[hahnsolo1977]

Farming, factors, and gasoline all cause more pollution than mining, no ones picking on them, and the mines have to fix the land when they are done the others don't.

[Appalachiaman]

I've got news for you two below me, first of all MTR is very detrimental to the environment.  When a sludge pool in eastern KY broke in 2000, the EPA described the event as the worst environmental disaster ever, east of the Mississippi River. Also, MTR accounts for only 25% of the nations coal, it's not like this is our only source of energy. Have you every seen a reclaimed MTR site? The only plant that can grow there is indigenous to China. There is no way you can ever "fix" the MTR site.

[hahnsolo1977]

These pictures are truely ugly, but this is an active mine, it will not stay like that when there done. You wouldn't say your house is ugly when it is only half way done.

Accidents happen in mining, but no more than any other industry. Exxon Valdez spill oil they still ship oil, the Chernobyl accident was very dangerous, but france still gets most of there Electricity from nuclear power plants. We have to work to make things safer and cleaner not outlaw every thing.

[chord97]

How can you fix a mountain than has been removed, and pushed into a creek (that no longer exists)?

Naked greed drives these exploiters.

I live close to these areas of devastation, and know about this subject.

[hahnsolo1977]

It's called RECLAMATION, there are crews set up for this under the guidelines set by The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) in D.C.

Also it's called mountain top removal not mountain removal. The mountain is still there the top is just flat or level with smaller mountains.

They plant grass, make new streams and fishing ponds, plant native trees, including the American chestnuts.

Where I live everything is built on old mines,stores,schools,and Hospitals.

[shotgunwalter]

Iknow what we should do... We should stop all mining, let the american machine fail,everyone cut trees to burn for heat and cooking energy,go back 1700's medicines,put cattle on the land we rape the firewood from, farm the land,then after the power grid fails from no energy,we can no longer maintain and build our protective military,we can let anyone in the world come and invade us with their armies and we can go up and hide in the mountains and eat rasberries and squirrels.

[moloha2000]

Some people say that unrestrained free enterprise is the best system ever....

This is an example of what has happened when GREED & PROFITS is the excuse for destroying the mountains.

[ebnumber2]

just like greed and profits destroyed trees for the house you live in right?

[moloha2000]

Trees are replanted. Mountaintops can't be replaced!

[ronnymc]

A MUST SEE!!! Great piece...

[clockworkmeltdown]

very imformative video. 5 stars!!

rock on-space

[colibri1]

This is simply evil. No one "needs" energy bad enough to actually destroy an entire mountain chain. Only in the US would you find people defending this kinda thing. Immoral, brainwashed idiots.

[undergroundrcer1]

hoo20891 whats shamefull is u guys cant understand the fact we gotta have power in wv, i hate the fact we gotta do it but we have to do what we have to do. wv is the porrest state in U.S. u try diggin under ground lets c how u like it

[NothingSerious]

Fine. I'll live on my mountain with good soil, clean air, and clean water. You live on your moonscape with only electricity. Let's see who lasts longer. If you hated it you wouldn't do it. Think about it! Is it really worth it?

[H00020891]

Mountain removal--simply shameful! I just learned about this from Erik Reece's article in the New York Times. This short video is one of the most effective ways I've found to share the message with my students. and get them to learn more. Well done!

[cartoonage]

what an incredible thing...

[Jasaine]

Ya know.. this is the first I've heard of this. Thank you for making me aware and rest assured I'll be spreading the word.

[pennilesscripple]

well done--you packed a lot into 2 minutes. thank you for your hard work.