Mountaintop Removal

In mountaintop removal mining (MTR), coal companies remove 600-800 feet off the tops of the Appalachian Mountains to reach the coal seams. The tops of the mountains are then placed into valleys in an operation called "valley fill." Mountaintop removal is a controversial practice, but provides some good-paying jobs in a region that desperately needs them. Underground mining is a more labor-intensive form of mining, while mountaintop removal is faster and more efficient for the coal companies.

While many local residents consider themselves "Friends of Coal," some Harlan County residents are speaking out against mountaintop removal - click here to watch a short 6-minute film about Harlan County resident Elmer Lloyd's efforts to save his fish pond from the polluted runoff from a strip mine above his house.