[Old School]

Only 6% is suitable for mining[B] Since no industry keeps up with the total amount of land mined, that statement cannot be backed up. The latest estimate of land to be mined is 1.4 million acres by 2010, I dont know the exact land mass of eastern ky, but I would guess thats more than 6% [/B]

Less people mining Yes you are correct that as technology increases the amount of people needed to do a job decreases. Which has nothing to do with my argument, if anything you proved it. Mining jobs have decreased. Thats all I was trying to say, nothing more.

Contour surface mining Since contour mining is rarely used, I don't think it really plays an important role in this discussion. I know contour mining was used a lot in the 70's and is still being used somewhat in Tennessee. The reclamation done on contour sites is no better than what is used in MTR, the high walls cannot be filled in so that just remain there. Contour mining is not as bad on the environment as MTR, but I believe we should step away from fossil fuels.

Home values A lot of homes that are near MTR sites suffer tremendous damages during blasting. A lot of the residents don't have the money to repair their homes, which causes a tremendous decline in home value. That coupled with the dangers of mudslides, and flooding causes the majority of homes to drop in value. The only way I see an increase would be in land sold on top of the strip mine, and that would be because before mining the land wasn't suitable to build on. But 90% of mined land is not used, so that argument doesn't hold up.

Health Yes all the things you mentioned does have an impact on the health issues. Here is the point I was trying to make, the water in eastern Ky is so full of mercury, lead, ammonium and other chemicals that eating fish, or drinking water from most water sources increases the chance of birth defects by nearly 50%. Children in Eastern KY are 50% more likely to have asthma, if smoking was the only issue, states such as New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina, all with high smoker percentages should have comparable rates, they don't.

God given earth[B] We could argue about this forever, it's all in how one takes the word of god, [/B]

CO87: Since no industry keeps up with total land being mined. You may want to contact the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation, I'm sure they should have that number somewhere. Everyone has to keep in mind that not every mountain top or ridgeline has mineable coal reserves. I've seen several instances where there would be 5 foot of coal one ridge and less than a foot on the next ridge over. Coal seams are very sporadic especially around the top of the mountains.

CO87: Less People Mining ????

CO87: Contour Surface Mining rarely used today and doesn't play an important role in this discussion. Several companies mine by the Contour method, really the majority of companies that use MTR are the larger ones like Massey, Arch etc., the company that I work for has 5 surface mines all of them use the Contour mining method.

CO87: highwalls can not be filled in and just remain there. You got to be kidding me, Where did you come up with this information, FYI Federal Law passed in 1977 requires highwalls to be reclaimed, if you see any old highwalls along the hillsides then it had to be mined before 1977 or someone forfeited their bond if it was mined after 1977.

CO87: Home Values First if there is anyone out there that lives within a 3/4 mile radius of a surface mine they should have a Pre Blast survey on their house before mining starts or as soon as possible. Coal companies will pay a independent contractor that is licensed to preform a pre blast survey to come to your home, during this survey they will examine the interior for any defects (cracks, water leaks, doors that don't shut well, etc.) pictures or video's will be shoud be taken. The outside of the house will be examined they should pay special attention to the foundation and roof. I would strongly recommend this to anyone living near a mining operation where there is blasting, this can help the home owner prove the damage has been done since blasting started or it can prove the damage was already there prior to blasting. The ATF requires that companies record the amount of explosives and what is used in each shot, the certified blaster will either shoot by scaled distances (houses or building are located on a map with the permitted area) the blaster will use a GPS unit for his location and a distance is then determined to the nearest house or protected structure, or a box is set up at the nearest house to measure the ground vibrations this reading is recorded in the box. If a person calls in a blasting complaint to the state office, all they have to do is to either check the box or the blasting logs and if the company is out of compliance they will be liable for damages.

CO87: 90% of mined land is not used I have no idea where you came up with that number? Must be from a environmental web site.

The waters in Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia are polluted, they are not as bad as they once were, but I think the biggest problem with the streams is the fact that there are still to many sewer lines that run straight into them. Just the other day a man who owned a septic cleaning service was caught dumping raw sewage into the Big Sandy River a few miles above the water plant intake, and he had been doing this for months.
Am I understanding you to say that mining is to blame of all of the chemicals in the streams and rivers?