Coal Controversy: The Two Types Of Mining Coal

When asked to think of coal mining, what comes to mind? A mountain with a hole cut into the side of it with a set of railroad tracks disappearing into it? Maybe an old mine car or two full of some rocks or coal, with a pickaxe and shovel leaning against it. A few guys with hard hats covered in a black powder coming walking out of the mine pushing a car or two full of coal. The technology has advanced but the process is basically still the same as well as the outcome. Coal is retrieved from underground and taken to factories to be burnt to create electricity or to fuel the steel mills.

In the United States, 42 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated by burning coal as coal is cheap and plentiful.

Energy is an important part of life producing the power of movement, heat, and production of electricity in many different ways. Therefore, choosing the correct source of energy is important for the environment and humans. Renewable energy that produces electricity never runs out, causing a lower environmental impact. Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and Hydropower energy should be used globally to produce electricity. On the other hand, producing electricity from nonrenewable energy sources can be very harmful to humans and the environment. Humans can easily be dependent on it, which may not be the best option when it comes to finance, efficiency, sustainability and more. Approximately 52% of the US electricity comes from polluting sources like natural gas, oil, nuclear, and hydropower that have a lot of disadvantages effecting the environment in a negative way.

Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work,” he said of his method of experimentation. “When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the ways that will work.” Up until the late 1830’s electricity was derived from many non-renewable sources such as coal, oil, and natural gases. These are also known as fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are the major energy sources that are being used in the world today. The production of fossil fuels account for more than one-third of U.S global emissions, which trap heat, steadily drive up the plant’s temperature, and create harmful impacts on our health, our environment, and our climate. Their sources are limited and depleting at a faster

We should invest in cleaner alternatives that will not only be better for us but the environment. Although coal is used for electricity, there are other ways to produce electricity like water power, wind generators, and solar energy. Water power, or hydropower is power that is derived from the weight of the water. Hydroelectric power plants use dams or rivers to store water to then release the water through turbines that spin it that produces electricity. Wind generators are like water power but instead of water its wind. Wind turbines converts the wind’s energy into electric energy. Solar energy is similar but the energy comes from the sun. Some people use solar energy for their homes so they save money and will not have to pay an electric bill. Instead of burning coal, there are other alternatives as stated

The Burning of fossil fuels generate 85 percent of electricity worldwide. The generation of electricity is the single largest source of CO2 emissions. Some examples of what this energy is used for are in power plants, cars, planes, and industrial facilities. Almost all industrialized nations get the majority of their electricity from the combustion of fossil fuels (around 60-90%) as well as the

The development of science and technology has led to people considering using alternative fuels to generate electricity. There are many alternative fuels that can generate electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy, wind energy, hydraulic power and so on (Fossil Fuels Used to Generate Electricity Power Plant Emissions of North America). According to the statistics by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2009, the usage of coal was still the largest source to generate the power. Sources of electricity in the United States were generated by 44.9% of coal, 20.3% of nuclear, 23.4% of natural gas, 1% of petroleum, 6.9% of hydroelectric conventional and 3.6% of others (Electric Power Monthly with Data for February 2014). Coal

Coal has been around for 250 million years, but only has been used since the 1800’s first by trains and now for energy all around the world and many other things that people couldn't think of! Coal is a combustible sedimentary organic rock which is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It is formed from vegetation which has been consolidated between two other rock strata and altered by the combined effects of pressure and heat over millions of years to form coal seams. There are over 174,000 jobs in the U.S associated with coal and 83,000 of them are mining jobs, Coal miners have found many ways to extract coal from the ground which includes, surface mining, longwall mining, room and pillar mining, and underground mining. “Surface

My Aunt, Janice James, lived on the most beautiful piece of land in Knoxville, Tennessee, on the Emory River. You could see why she and her husband chose to live here for so many years, it was picturesque. It was picturesque until December of 2008 when the TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant led to the biggest coal-ash spill in history. TVA uses coal to develop ‘cleaner’ electricity for the communities surrounding. They may claim to have bettered the community, but years later, it is still devastating that Janice James lost her home and will never be able to visit the gorgeous piece of land she called home for so long. This event was one of the biggest tragedies Janice had faced, but she was able to move on and find another

The United States uses fossil fuels for 67.5% of its energy consumption. Fossil fuels have more negative impacts than positive ones. The only positive that comes from fossil fuels is that it can create energy. Most of the negative effects have to deal with the environment, like the most popular, burning coal for electricity. “Coal is used for about 43% of electricity generation in the U.S” (Coal and the Environment - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration, no date). Burning coal releases many different toxic and deadly emissions. Some of which include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and particulates. Sulfur dioxide is the cause of acid rain. Nitrogen oxides contribute to smog. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas which is causing global warming. The particles also contribute to smog and can cause lung disease. From the emissions created from created electricity, 77% of it was from coal alone. For the next 50 years, the main goal of the United States should be to reduce the amount of energy created from coal. The most efficient and clean way to replace coal is to use solar panels at as many households as possible.

Reasons for Mining Coal: Coal is the most abundant of the fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), and the US produces more than a billion tons of it every year. Half

The Industrial Revolution sparked a need for large sources of energy. Human and animal labor could not provide the power necessary to power industrial machinery, railroads, and ships. The steam engine and later the internal combustion engine provided the bulk of the energy required by the industrial age. Today most nations are still heavily reliant on energy that comes from combustion. Usually coal, petrolium, and natural gas are used. Some hydroelectric, wind power, and nuclear fission sources are used, but in the US they accounted for less than 20% of the total energy consumption in 1997 (1). Many experts are worried that natural resources such as coal and petrolium are being depleted faster than they are being replenished, which could

Surface mining is the coal mining process that accounts for around 60% of the United States’ coal. It tends to be very efficient, with a single worker recovering up to 30 to 40 tons of coal in a day. To begin surface mining coal, a drill must

Figure above shows the percentage of electric energy in the U.S. Over 50% of the energy is from coal. This year nuclear energy use was increasing; however, it creates radioactive. Natural gas will pollute the air and caused global warming. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wind is the fastest growing energy resource. It increased by 46.6 percent by 2005.

Surface mining process include the excavation of overburden including the profitable topsoil and regular vegetation has spread to meet the mineral ores (singh, et al. 2010). These activities are connected with destructive impact to neighborhood. Proper planning needs to be done in mining since it is a short term environmental activity with long term hazards. There are several measures which can be implemented to prevent the harmful effects of mining. Mining exercise are completed in different stages, each