Mountaintop removal sometimes includes “valley fill” – dumping overburden in a stream
Mountaintop removal coal mining is a controversial practice, one that has declined 62 per cent over the past six years, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Note: Production excludes refuse coal. Coal production data for 2014 are preliminary.
Total U.S. coal production decreased about 15 per cent from 2008 to 2014. Surface production decreased about 21 per cent, and mountaintop removal decreased 62 per cent over this period. Lower demand for U.S. coal (primarily used to generate electric power) driven by competitive natural gas prices, increasing use of renewable generation, flat electricity demand, and environmental regulations, has contributed to lower U.S. coal production.
Types of surface mining techniques include contour strip, area, open pit, and mountaintop removal.
In mountaintop removal, entire coal seams running through the upper portion of a mountain are mined by removing all of the overburden (rock or soil overlying a mineral deposit), creating a level plateau or gently rolling contour.
Note: Coal production data for 2014 are preliminary.
In order to conduct mountaintop removal operations, a permit must be granted. By identifying the mines that have mountaintop removal permits, it is possible to estimate mountaintop removal production using mine production data, according to the EIA. Note: Production data in this article refer to total surface production at mines with mountaintop removal permits and provide an upper bound of mountaintop removal production.
Mountaintop removal is prevalent mostly in Central Appalachia, specifically West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and, in the past, Tennessee.
In 2013, Tennessee legislators proposed bills banning permits for specific coal mining operations more than 2,000 feet above sea level. While Tennessee has yet to pass legislation definitively banning mountaintop removal operations, there have been no active permits in Tennessee since at least 2007.
West Virginia accounts for most domestic mountaintop removal production, and this type of production makes up most of the surface production in the state (61 per cent in 2013).
If the mining operation includes a valley fill, which allows the overburden to be deposited in intermittent or perennial streams, an additional permit must be granted.
On May 27, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army finalized the Clean Water Rule that more precisely defines waters protected under the Clean Water Act. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is also working with EPA and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop an environmental impact statement (EIS) analyzing environmental impacts of coal surface mining in the Appalachian region. OSMRE expects to release an EIS along with a proposed stream protection rule this summer.