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Mountain top removal mining is where a coal company literally blows up a mountain to collect coal from underneath it. This practice needs to be stopped now for the reasons stated below. Mountain top removal is a major problem in the Appalachian Mountains.

Mountain Top Removal is really bad for the environment!! The material which is removed is often dumped into head-water streams. This dams them up and increases flooding. When the stuff isn't dumped into streams, the runoff from the area pollutes the streams. Also since there is no vegetation, there are mudslides and an even bigger problem with floods. Mountain top removal in the Appalachians damage one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. The removal of trees leaves fewer trees to provide oxygen and clean the atmosphere. The removal of trees hurts the logging industry. The blasting ejects rock which often hits houses. The force of some of the explosions damage the foundations of peoples houses.

Mountain top removal turns a place like this:

into a place like this: /2435/3990412740_8522756e64.jpg"

Copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, silver, tungsten, zinc coal, natural gas, oil shale, and petroleum are all mined from the Rocky Mountains. However, people don't blow the Rocky Mountains up. So why blow up the Appalachians?!

Please, if you live in the United States, write congress and the president to put an end to Mountain top removal!

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