Editorial: Rein in rapacious coal industry

Lexington Herald-Leader

From the air, most people would be shocked by the coal industry's destruction of mountains in Kentucky and West Virginia.

Most people don't control the purse strings of the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, however. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Washington, does.

Kentuckians who care about the land and water can take heart from Dicks' recent flyover and his surprise at the magnitude of mountaintop mining.

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, persuaded Dicks, chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, to make this initial fact-finding trip.

Trouble is it will soon be too late. With soaring global demand pushing coal prices to record highs, mountains and streams are being blasted and ground away faster than ever.

Some in the coal industry are grumbling about why Chandler, a congressman from the Bluegrass, is interfering in an Eastern Kentucky issue.

The answer is plain. Central Kentucky's water comes from the mountains. The tons of dirt and traces of toxins that are loosed by mountaintop strip-mining, plus the permanent loss of headwater streams, damage rivers that run the length of the state.

Eastern Kentucky's mountains are literally flowing into Central Kentucky's water-intakes everyday.

Dicks' view of Appalachian coal-mining reminded him of the timber industry in his native Washington before restrictions were enacted on some of logging's most destructive practices. It's possible to protect sensitive environmental areas and reduce the damage without killing the industry.

A more careful approach to mining and reclaiming land would also be more labor intensive, so it would be good for the environment and job creation.

The coal industry expects high prices to last for at least several more years, making this a good time to rein in the most destructive mining practices. Wait much longer, and it might not matter.