Coal River Mountain Watch

Campaigns: Mountaintop Removal

Mountaintop Removal coal mining is the biggest human and environmental scandal in the United States today. Coal companies use powerful explosives and huge earth-moving equipment to rip away our mountains, take our coal, and leave us with dangerous, worthless, land that prevents future development of natural or other economic resources. West Virginia uses more explosives than any other state, and the coal industry uses far and away more than anyone else. Three million pounds of explosives are used on an average workday in West Virginia. That's equal to the amount of explosives in 4,636 "bunker buster" bombs used by the U.S. military.

The assault on our mountains affects our homes, water, roads, schools, children, families, and the land itself. Central Appalachia is home to the most diverse hardwood forest in the world. The flat land and "topsoil substitute" left after MTR will not give root to hardwood forests for hundreds of years. The loss of these resources damage the ecosystems of eastern North America.

Mountaintop Removal In Coal River:

Williams Mountain[1]

Operator Parent Permit #[2] Facility Name Acres[3]

Elk Run Massey 505792 East of Stollings 1238

Elk Run Massey 507586 411

Elk Run Massey 600687 60

Elk Run Massey 601189 236

Elk Run Massey 601487 246

Elk Run Massey 602688 344

Independence Massey 501400 Ramo Surface Mine 80

Jack’s Branch Massey 007984 131

Omar Mining Massey 007076 316

Omar Mining Massey 502387 268

Omar Mining Massey 503190 97

Independence Massey 501200 Laxare East 1,534

Independence Massey 502401 Lexerd 837

Elk Run Massey 502898 West of Stollings 1,087

Total Massey Acres: 6,885

Asset Mining Peabody 503095 Frozen Hollow 388

Pine Ridge Peabody 502995 Williams Mtn. 194

Total Peabody Acres: 582

Total Williams Mountain Acres: 7,467

Percentage of Quad: 20.18

[1] Based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic map quadrants.

[2] The last two digits of the permit number indicate the year the application was submitted.

[3] All data except for parent company taken from DEP records.

Kayford Mountain

Operator Parent Permit # Facility Name Acres

Catenary Arch 300800 Kayford South 712

Catenary Arch 301795 Samples Ext. 83

Catenary Arch 302390 (White Oak Hollow) 499

Catenary Arch 302490 Cabin Creek 2282

Catenary Arch 303593 Stanley Heritage 1098

Catenary Arch 601287 Samples 203

Total Arch Acres: 4,877

Princess Beverly Horizon[1] 300599 Kayford Mtn. 5 459

Princess Beverly Horizon 301492 Kayford Mtn. 224

Princess Beverly Horizon 302791 Kayford Mtn. 2 377

Princess Beverly Horizon 600989 209

Princess Beverly Horizon 603586 Kayford Mtn. 289

Princess Beverly Horizon z002781 Notomine Surface 1000

Total Horizon Acres: 2,558

Cumulative Acres: 7,435

Percentage of Quadrant: 20.09%[2]

Total Permitted Acres on Williams and Kayford Mountains: 14,902

Percentage of Two Quadrants: 20.01%

[1] The Princess Beverly mine shut down in 2003. Later that year, Horizon sold its reserves on Kayford Mountain to Massey Energy.

[2] Catenary and Princess Beverly straddle three topographic quadrants. They are all within close enough proximity that they could fit within the spatial area of any one of the quadrants. This percentage estimate is based on the spatial area of a quadrant at 38°00’00”N.

Permits issued for surface mines on Williams Mountain and Kayford Mountain in Coal River offer evidence of the explosion of mountaintop removal mining that began in the late 1980s. Of twenty-eight permits issued for the two mountains between 1976 and 2003 totaling 15,577 acres, only five permits totaling 2,147 acres (about 14% of the total acreage) were issued before 1987.

Things you can do if you are affected by mountaintop removal:

Keep a blast log. When you feel a blast, write down the date, time and a little description of how severe the blast was.

Look for permits: scan your local newspaper for new permits in your area and ask for a public hearing. Make sure all your neighbors know about the permit.

Contact CRMW to learn about your rights when dealing with coal companies and the DEP.

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