Although a strong coal mining industry is critical to the economy of central Appalachia, the practice of what is known as mountain top removal (MTR) mining has proven itself to be environmentally and economically irresponsible and must be stopped before further damage is done to the environmental integrity of one of the oldest and most unique ecosystems in the United States.
MTR mines employ fewer workers for shorter periods than traditional mines and negatively change regional watersheds by burying streams with materials blasted from the tops of mountains. Continuance of MTR mining risks losing not only the survival of numerous threatened and endangered species that rely on healthy ecosystems to survive, but the long-term stability of the Appalachian economy.