Coal: Good Energy Source or Major Pollutant? According to Wikipedia, “Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layer or veins called coal beds or coal seams. Coal is composed primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, with smaller quantities of sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen.” As humankind discovered coal and its ability to be used as an energy source thousands of years ago, man began harvesting coal and using it as a natural resource. While the demand for coal and useable energy rose, humankind had to find faster, more efficient ways to dig for coal. Strip mining, mountain bombing, and mountaintop removal began to arise as the predominant ways of retrieving coal during the 1950’s and remain as the predominant ways of retrieving coal to this day.
The common issues that most activists focus on surrounding coal and its removal are the stripping of the land the coal came from and the waste removal process of the “unusable” remains from the mining process. The stripping of the land causes a change in the ecological system surrounding the coal mining location. From the effects that coal mining has on the local animals in the area to the rock and sediment the mining removes, ecological debates surround the coal mining process. In addition, as the “unusable” remains from the mining process are dumped into local streams and creeks, the natural drinking water becomes contaminated and undrinkable. This contaminated natural drinking water, when drank, has been linked to cancer, asthma, and other illnesses. Local community leaders and activists are fighting to stop coal mining in many areas, especially the Appalachian region of Kentucky. According to the Center for Disease Control, the Appalachian region of Kentucky has the highest rate of cancer deaths in the