Humph, yes, I’ve seen the impacts. I too appreciate scott’s more civil manner, but Earth, or ecosystems “healing themselves”, is highly overrated by those doing the destruction.
Exploration for natural gas is fracturing rock underground, and poisoning water sources over vast acreages of both surface and aquifer. Impacts from mountain top removal also effect systems over much larger areas than just “the foot of the hill”.
That is why as we ever increase the destructive actions of mining companies, for short term and relatively minor profit, are so egregious. Today, thousands of mine shafts around the country pose deadly threats because mining companies were never required to clean up their mess, and many of those shafts were a direct result of the 1872 Mining Act- allowing even “small” operations to cause HUGE impacts- for free.
ALL mining and mineral production (like, oil and natural gas) activities in the U.S. need intense review and revision. This is needed to “clean up their acts”, AND increase the revenue to the taxpayer from these activities on public lands that have been “ripping us off” for over a century.
Humph, yes, I’ve seen the impacts. I too appreciate scott’s more civil manner, but Earth, or ecosystems “healing themselves”, is highly overrated by those doing the destruction.
Exploration for natural gas is fracturing rock underground, and poisoning water sources over vast acreages of both surface and aquifer. Impacts from mountain top removal also effect systems over much larger areas than just “the foot of the hill”.
That is why as we ever increase the destructive actions of mining companies, for short term and relatively minor profit, are so egregious. Today, thousands of mine shafts around the country pose deadly threats because mining companies were never required to clean up their mess, and many of those shafts were a direct result of the 1872 Mining Act- allowing even “small” operations to cause HUGE impacts- for free.
ALL mining and mineral production (like, oil and natural gas) activities in the U.S. need intense review and revision. This is needed to “clean up their acts”, AND increase the revenue to the taxpayer from these activities on public lands that have been “ripping us off” for over a century.