Yes, Mountaintop Removal Mining is Killing People

How many studies saying the exact same fucking thing is it going to take?


James Bruggers at the Courier:

Residents in Floyd County, where coal is stripped from the tops of mountains, report more health problems than in other Eastern Kentucky communities, according to new research out of West Virginia University.

The study, published in the online Journal of Rural Health, is the latest to suggest links between health and mountaintop-removal mining in Appalachia, said its author, Michael Hendryx, director of the university’s West Virginia Rural Health Research Center and a professor in its School of Public Health.

“Mountaintop-removal mining should stop,” said Hendryx, a psychologist and expert in health disparities. “We should develop other ways to grow the economy in these areas.”

SNIP

Rep. Greg Stumbo, the speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, and a Floyd County Democrat, issued two statements about the study.

The first one objected to it, citing bias. The second one said he would withhold judgment until after he’s reviewed the study, while also signaling his skepticism.

SNIP

Hendryx said one of the problems may be tiny particles of dust from coal mining near blasting zones that are so small they can penetrate the lungs and get into the blood, causing health impacts. There are also concerns about people drinking polluted water or handling contaminated soil, he said.

An infinite number of studies and a million bodies wouldn't do it, because what it's really going to take is the political will to stand up to Big Coal.  Greg "I eat coal dust on my corn flakes every morning" Stumbo ain't got it.