Service Trip for Mountaintop Removal
A group of 14 Barnard College and Columbia University students will be traveling to southern Virginia during our spring break (starting March 17th). There, we will partner with South Appalachian Mountain Stewards, a non-profit that works to safeguard Appalachia’s environment. Specifically, they work to enforce federal regulations that limit pollution in an effort to minimize the harmful effects of surface coal mining.
In Appalachia, surface coal mining has replaced underground mining as the predominant form of coal extraction. In one form of surface mining, mountaintop removal mining, the tops of mountains are removed with explosives so that the coal beneath can be accessed. This practice changes the landscape and ecology of the region by sending coal dust into the air and sediment into streams, furthermore causing environmental and human health issues. The recent accident in West Virginia, where a leakage of chemical products used to “scrub” coal left over 300,000 people without clean water, emphasizes the immense vulnerabilities of coal extraction as it exists today.
Although federal and state-level legislation sets limits on the environmental damage companies can incur, regulatory agencies in the region often do not have the funds to comprehensively test streams for potential risks. South Appalachian Mountain Stewards works to mobilize community members to collect water quality data, which contributes to region-wide efforts to pinpoint polluted areas. Our team will work with SAMS members to collect water quality data in the Clinch, Guest, and Powell Rivers. By adding to their records, we will aid in SAMS’ efforts to gain a complete understanding of water quality in the region so that federal regulations can be correctly enforced.
Our team will be receiving a matching grant from our school, however, we still need your help. We are required to cover the cost of transportation, board, and data collection materials. A donation would go far in enabling our project to move forward.
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