Last week, during NN '09, I was located in Pittsburgh, PA. Beautiful city. Clean, green, and very proud of the strides they have made from the polluted dirty place I visited in the late 60's. We had our convention in the greenest convention center in the country. There was, with reason, lots of talk about all things green and how the G20 would be coming to the city to showcase what can be done in the way of cleaning up a once blighted area.
But, just a short drive down the freeway from all of the green and pride of all things shiny, was the exact opposite of what was to be found in the city. All over Greene County disaster is being wrought by Consol Energy. The only thing I can think of to compare it to is cancer. It travels under the surface. Unseen. Destroying everything it comes near.
The name of this cancer is longwall mining. It travels 400'-600' under the surface of the land eating at everything in it's path. And everywhere it travels, under homes, near dams, and headwaters for streams, it leaves behind disaster.
Peoples homes splintering and cracking. And, finally crumbling into a pile of rubble. Dams cracking to the point of having to be dismantled and the water behind lost. Leaving the fish flopping on the waterless ground left behind. Streams drying up, leaving only dry, cracked beds behind. With no water for farm animals and their minders.
Of course the mining company Consol, in this case, denies any culpability and any need to do more than patch up kind of remediation. They say that they will mitigate any damages done to homes. But those who have lost their homes to this insidious disease know the reality of those claims.
What a difference a couple of hours can make. On the one hand a model for a new and clean environment. On the other complete devastation. Some light on the subject would be most welcome, I am sure, to those who make their homes in Greene County. And, for that matter, anyplace else where longwall mining is occurring. Or, will occur.
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