Historically, mining companies have extracted the earth’s resources wherever economics made it feasible, secure in their knowledge that their products were essential to society. Prior to the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in 1977, 1.1 million acres (445,000 ha) of coal-mined land in the United States was left un-reclaimed and over 10,500 miles (16,900 km) of streams and rivers were adversely affected in the Appalachian region alone. Coal mining operations today are designed to comply with environmental regulations and to minimize adverse environmental impacts; exceptions exist, however, and serve to inspire environmental activists and conservation groups to resist and reject mining wherever it is proposed. This societal tension serves as a backdrop to the dynamics of issuing or rejecting mining permit applications. (more…)

Although underground coal mines operations are not as visible as surface mining, their overall environmental impact can be greater than that of the typical surface mine. A key environmental problem is subsidence. Underground mines are large cavities in the rock, and depending on the strength of the intervening strata, the depth of the mine, and the type of mining and roof support, the rock walls can fail, causing cracks and land collapse at the surface. Typically, coal seams at depths greater than about 200 feet are extracted by underground mining methods rather than by surface mining, with the exact depth principally based on the relative amount of coal and overburden. However, before improved technology made surface mining so affordable, the trade-off occurred at much shallower depths; some abandoned underground mines are only 35 feet below the land surface. (more…)

Before the passage of regulations dictating mined land reclamation and mine water discharge standards, streams and rivers down-gradient of mine sites were often contaminated with high levels of suspended and dissolved solids. In the eastern United States, Acid Mine Drainage was also a major problem. Nowadays, streams and rivers near active mine sites have much less of an impact. Sediment ponds are constructed to collect suspended solids and if the mine water does not meet regulations, chemicals [typically lime, Ca(OH) 3 ] are added to neutralize acidity and precipitate dissolved metals. (more…)

Currently, site reclamation is planned for during the permitting process and is incorporated into the mining operation. However, this was not always the case. Many mine sites were legally abandoned in an un-reclaimed or poorly reclaimed condition because mining was completed before environmental regulations went into effect. These abandoned mines are scars on the landscape and cause most of the water pollution attributed to mining. These old mines are considered abandoned because, in most countries, no one is legally required to reclaim the land or to treat the water. A similar problem occurs at mine sites that are or were operated by companies that have gone bankrupt. (more…)

Coal is an important energy source and energy consumption in United States as well as worldwide. It will remain so for many years particularly in many developing countries. Fossil fuels stay as the main energy sources to the U.S. economy, but we can not ignore the importance of coal for decades. Coal production provides the price stability and will continue to be an significant source for electricity generation. Coal utilization is the major source of hydrogen in the coming hydrogen-based energy economy and it will be a crucial source of gas to liquid process of fuels energy.

Coal utilization and the importance of coal as source of energy industry perspective will change over time. (more…)