Despite what Creigh Deeds believes, mountaintop removal coal mining is not the same thing as surface mining or "whatever euphemism you're gonna use." In fact, mountaintop removal coal mining is a particularly devastating, destructive method that decimates mountains and the ecosystems surrounding them. It is also a highly mechanized form of coal mining that is "designed, from the very start, to take the labor force out of the mining operation." Thus, "According to the bureau of labor statistics, in the early 1950’s there were between 125,000 and 145,000 miners employed in West Virginia; in 2004 there were just over 16,000. During that time, coal production has increased." So, when you hear politicians or coal industry executives talking about how banning mountaintop removal coal mining will kill jobs, that's simply not true. In fact, it's underground coal mining which is labor intensive, not mountaintop removal coal mining. So much for that argument.
From Wise Energy for Virginia
Blue Virginia
