Mountain Top Removal (MTR) is a form of strip coal mining that involves the removal of mountain ridges and summits for mineral access. It is characterized by the dumping of layers of soil and rock above the coal seam into adjacent valleys, called “valley fills.” Draglines, 20 stories high and weighing 8 million pounds, excavate the coal. The coal processing creates slurry, which is left impounded behind earthen damns. Once the coal is removed by truck, the land must be reclaimed as per SMACRA 1977. While MTR sites are exempt from approximate contour regrading, they must be re-seeded, as shown in this photo of Kaymore mine.
Geographic Information Systems
Boone County, WV
In 2012 I used the topic of MTR as a platform for a graduate class in ArcGIS (Geographic Information Systems). GIS allows valued data associated with geographic locations to be visually displayed and analyzed. The data source and sets vary, and have to be both retrieved and processed before they can be projected and plotted. The first primary source analyzed was the publicly available 2010 US Census data, and included: Population Density, Poverty, Unemployment, and Mine Employment. The intent was to demonstrate that those who were faced with having the mines in their backyards did not benefit financially from such sacrifice. The source of the MTR locations had come from a citizens watch group called Coal River Mountain Watch. They had obtained the data for the mine locations from the West Virginia Public Service Utility Commission and were looking for an intern to help them complete another analysis concerning the Coal Route Transportation System (CRTS) a system of roadways designated for the transportation of coal. I reached out to let them know of my interest and spent the next two months seeking and sorting CSV files obtained from the West Virginia Public Services Commission and state Department of Transportation. The analysis showed blatant disregard for the posted weight limits of the bridges along the CRTS, and resulted in the mining company replacing the small span bridges critical to their operations.
