Only Stephen Colbert could take mountaintop removal mining and make it funny. “It’s the most efficient way to get to the coal inside,” he proudly shouts. "That’s why when I go to the dentist, I have him remove my teeth from the top of my head.” This time around, he’s interviewing Margaret Palmer, an author of a paper in Science that is the best study on this horrendous practice. The conclusion: Blowing up mountains is bad for mountains. Gee, you think!?

Based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific findings and new data, a group of the nation’s leading environmental scientists are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stay all new mountaintop mining permits. In the January 8 edition of the journal Science, they argue that peer-reviewed research unequivocally documents irreversible environmental impacts from this form of mining which also exposes local residents to a higher risk of serious health problems.

It’s so bad the scientists called for a moratorium. Unfortunately, immediately afterward, the Obama Administration and the EPA okayed another mountaintop removal permit. And so it goes.

Source: Down to Earth