Mountaintop removal (MTR) mining, sometimes called strip mining, is a surface mining method which removes a mountain’s summit to expose its coal deposits beneath. Since it began in 1970, MTR mining has become the most common method of coal mining in our Appalachian region which includes West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. In this process, mountaintops are first cleared of forest, vegetation and topsoil. Powerful explosives are then used to blast as much as 800 feet off the top of a mountain. Huge mechanical shovels, called draglines, are used to dig through the layer of rock to access the coal seam. Excess rock and soil is hauled away on trucks and usually deposited into adjacent valleys. Huge amounts of chemically-treated water is then used to wash the extracted coal to prepare it for market. The resulting waste water is laden with coal dust, carcinogenic chemicals and harmful metals such as mercury and arsenic. This toxic slurry mix often migrates into the water supplies upon which residents depended.

Although mining companies are required to restore these mountaintops when finished, advocates say these measures are often inadequate, saying these sites remain infertile long after miners have left. MTR mining is relatively inexpensive since it requires a much smaller workforce than conventional mining, but it is very costly in terms of human and environmental damage. Opponents say MTR mining is responsible for annihilating ecosystems, polluting waterways and causing great harm to the Appalachian people. Many studies have shown that compared to their peers, these Americans suffer more than a 50% higher rate of cancers and more than a 40% higher rate of birth defects from contaminated water and airborne dust and toxins produced by MTR mining. The monetary public health costs associated with this human tragedy are estimated to be at least $75 billion each year. Critics say this method of mining would not be as nearly profitable if companies were held responsible for polluting the air, water and lands of these American communities.

Pending Legislation: H.R.4705 - Appalachian Communities Health Equity (ACHE) Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Morgan McGarvey (KY)
Status: House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Chair: Rep. Mike Collins (GA)

• I oppose reforming current mountaintop removal mining policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA).
• I support a temporary halt on issuing or renewing federal authorizations for mountaintop removal coal mining until a health study is completed by:
  
  1.) Instituting a moratorium until a comprehensive health study on the practice is conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The moratorium would remain in place until federal health agencies complete an investigation into the reported health effects.
  
  2.) acknowledging the bill is based on research and public concern linking mountaintop removal coal mining to adverse health effects in nearby communities.
  
  3.) Halting the issuance of certain federal authorizations for this mining practice in the steep slope regions of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia.
  
  4.) Assessing a one-time fee on companies currently conducting or that have completed mountaintop removal mining projects to cover the cost of the health study.
  
  And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Mike Collins (GA) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.