Column by Tate White

In determining a topic for my column this week, it became exceedingly difficult to ignore the recent pieces that have appeared in the Opinions section on the subject of mining. My intentions for this environmentally themed column were to steer away from the hot topic of coal to address the multitude of other relevant issues. Participants in debates about coal mining in a coal state are typically familiar with arguments on either side and passionately aligned with one already. The issue of coal mining is complex, especially in a state whose economy is so deeply entrenched in the industry, and I have thus avoided writing about it, not wanting to oversimplify complexities. However, coal remains the white elephant in the room, hulking in the corner of every conversation involving non-renewable energy, anthropogenic climate change or environmental justice issues.

Coal mining cannot be spoken of without acknowledging the excess of the energy intensive lifestyles characteristic of America and now spreading to rapidly developing countries that have become the primary importers of coal from companies mining in the Appalachians. As Bjorn Westergard underlined in his letter on harmful coal mining methods on Feb. 2, environmental groups recognize the coal industry is (unfortunately) an established necessity and coal mining will continue for some time. Outcry against mountaintop removal is specifically in reaction to this devastating process that decimates the cultural and natural landscape as well as the health and vitality of surrounding communities. It is ironic that the very communities whose formation was stimulated and supported by the coal industry are now suffering on account of that same industry, which has become untouchable politically.

The undeniable truth is coal is money and local politicians—often national ones too—are largely funded by the profits produced by rampant and largely unregulated strip mining. For this reason, strip-mining practices often go unregulated and are virtually invisible to many established federal regulations, which scientists assert would never approve for mountaintop removal to even take place. Next Tuesday, I will travel to Frankfort, accompanied by a dozen or so more UK students to join thousands of Kentuckians to collectively demonstrate our opposition to mountaintop removal. I find it difficult not to be disturbed by, or concerned over, such heedless destruction of the physical environment on such a massive scale. Could you take a flyover over strip-mining sites in Eastern Kentucky or West Virginia or take a sip of the murky water that pours out of a nearby resident’s faucet and continue to use your electricity unrestrained on a clear conscious?

I have no outstanding personal connections to coal mining outside of being born in Kentucky. Having lived in Louisville and then Lexington only renders me incapable of truly understanding what it is like to call Eastern Kentucky and the Appalachians home or have a family member with economic ties to the coal industry. I do not, however, believe this means that I — or anyone else — should feel unobligated to educate themselves about coal mining and its repercussions, both positive and negative. My modest column, in both authority and length, is no place to even begin to chronicle these repercussions (see Westergard’s letter for a great overview of the harm of mountaintop removal practices). I would like to challenge all readers to approach this important issue from an unbiased perspective.