The Truth About Coal Mining

From A Coal Miner’s Sister

There’s lots of rumbling on the mountain these days – down in the valleys, too. Rumor has it that after 40 years, coal mining’s coming back to our community. Neighbors everywhere are fired up – good fired up, bad fired up, scared fired up, mad fired up. Seems the big question everyone is asking first is: how does this affect me personally? And the next question: how does it affect our community? What’s worst case? No one can know for sure, but we can surely learn from others who have been there.

Someone said recently that people want to know more about coal mining, and asked me to share what I know. I’m no expert, but I am a coal miner’s sister, by law. And one of my best friends is a coal miner’s sister by blood. It’s been an intimate way of life for their whole family. So I’ll share what I’ve seen, heard, and read. Maybe it will help folks decide for themselves what coal mining means, up close and personal.

It means good pay, that’s for sure. Miners make good money, because the work is hard and the risks are plenty, which also makes it hard to get life insurance. That risk makes for a real sense of brother/sisterhood among miners. Every time another mineshaft collapses, every miner and each family member feels that fear and pain of being trapped. When there’s an equipment accident, each miner knows she could be next. It was the same when our miner brother was diagnosed with lung cancer, kidney, and liver disease. There’s a sense of camaraderie sort of like in the Marines – a tough sense of commitment to keep going. But we’re told that ultimately, it’s the pay that keeps them going back into the strip mines. And there’s another kind of mining…Rumor has it a Canadian company called MCoal wants to do “auger mining” in our community. What is auger mining? A group of concerned citizens who said they met recently with MCoal leaders described what the company presented to them. “Basically, they plan to drill holes at the base of the mountain which are 4 feet wide, 16 inches high, and up to 400 feet deep,” one property owner told me. “There’s an 18-inch support pillar between each 4-foot hole, with a wider support pillar every 16 feet.” But several citizens who attended that meeting shared with us their concerns about the precision of drilling holes 300 or 400 feet deep – what would keep the drills from penetrating those 18-inch pillars? One concerned citizen told us, “The MCoal leaders admitted there could be integrity risks with the pillar support design. In fact, they told us sometimes there could even be a collapse that traps the auger machine and operator in the mountain. Sometimes the machine stays trapped, and they decide to abandon that particular operation.” While the MCoal leaders described the risks as minimal, the reality and possibility of such risks fueled much concern and discussion among the property owners and citizens present.
“We were also thinking about our neighbors in nearby towns like Oneonta, whose water could be affected. And neighbors whose houses and barns could be damaged from land shifts,” a farmer shared. “How’d they know they’d ruptured a support pillar, or pierced a well water vein that far into the mountain? How would we know it? When our wells ran dry or got septic, that’s how.”

The risks of drilling errors causing water and land damage raised so much concern among the citizens at the meeting that it seems to warrant further dialogue and negotiation at a much higher level. As one grandmother put it, “This affects entire communities, not just the people who live above the ‘coal holes.’ It’s the land we live on and farm, the water we drink the air we breathe. And water and air goes all over, wherever the Good Lord sends it.” Sharing the grandmother’s concerns was a young mother. “I wouldn’t give leasing rights to the mining company ‘cause I don’t want my kids getting sick,” she said. “We already have a lot of kids with birth defects in this county, probably due to the mining that was here 40 years ago – no more!” she cried. “Our land is finally healing - this is our home! Why don’t they just leave us alone?” Another citizen mentioned that she herself had been diagnosed with cancer, as had seven of her neighbors. “We think it’s maybe connected with the mining done here in the past,” she said. Another citizen then talked about the toxins brought into the air when coal hits water and air. “Its poison – that’s all there is to it,” he stated. “In the ground, in the water, in the air, it don’t matter what you try to say good about it, its poison. And Alabama’s air is already a problem for people with asthma and allergies. They don’t need something else taking away their breath.”

Rumor has it that the proposed auger mining operation would be a 5-year project. Several citizens raised concerns about pollution, noise, and even road safety in the coal trafficking area over such a long period of time. Fearing for her children’s wellbeing, a young mother then asked how the company got the right to come into the community in the first place. “Who invited them here to Blount County? They ain’t even an American company! Who gave them permission to mine our coal here? “ she said. “We’re neighbors up here – we’ve got to live together, raise our kids, our cows, and grow our farms and gardens. Nobody would knowingly do this to their own community, especially not to our babies and our kids,” she asserted. And the truth is, mining companies do have to obtain permission from regulators. And they do have to obtain leasing rights from property owners in order to get to the coal. Mining is a profitable business, and coal is a necessary commodity for fuel. Alabama’s coal seems to be particularly desirable because of its purity. And coal is a natural water filter: that’s probably why our natural streams and rivers and our well water is so good and plentiful. It is also why Alabama’s mountains, in the foothills of the Appalachians, continue to attract mine companies like MCoal.

So how does a Canadian mining company come into an Alabama community? I am told it starts with rich investors who want to spend money in order to make more money. With the leadership of a “high-risk” entrepreneur and an experienced “coal snooper-outer” (with Alabama roots…) the tedious permit process begins. But ultimately, mining companies come into communities because elected officials, regulators, and property owners grant them permission to come. And mining companies make money because people like our brother and sister miners are willing to work the mines and risk the health and safety dangers.

But is it the right thing to do, and twice in the same community? That’s the question each person in the “permission pipeline” has to ask his or her self.

Here are some thoughts worth pondering:

Mine operators say, “Property owners have the right to harvest their coal.” Perhaps that is true, but at what cost to their family, friends, neighbors and the environment? Everyone has a God-given right - and a Constitutional right – to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Do I have the right to trump your rights?

Property owners say, “The economy is bad - I gave up lease rights to the mining company because I needed the money.” The economy affects everyone, and we all need money. But when money comes at the expense of another’s life, it’s called blood money. Your own family and neighbors – even you yourself - may become sick, incur property damage, or lose their very lives because you let mining come into our community. The truth is, mining can’t come into this community if you don’t let them.

PROPERTY OWNERS ARE THE ULTIMATE GATE KEEPERS! Can you do this and live with yourself, live in the community, with a clear conscience? Or perhaps you were unaware of the risks of mining? If you believe you made a bad decision because you didn’t have enough information at the time, we invite you to revoke your permit immediately and help educate others.

Elected officials and regulators say, “I have to remain neutral on this matter.” Your citizen constituents disagree with you. You were elected to protect our children, our property, our constitutional rights, and us. If you are unwilling or unable to do so, we invite you to resign immediately and be replaced by a citizen with integrity, courage, good moral character, and true leadership who we can trust to protect the people of our community.

One elected official promised, “Mining will bring in more money for our hospital.” So far, no doctor and no hospital has been able to cure my Brother miner’s lung cancer. And my sister injured in an accident.

Citizens have been told, “Lease information and the permit process is public information.” This is true. Everyone involved in granting permission to mine in our community can be identified through public records. If mining is permitted, citizens are committed to producing a full disclosure to the community.

What is the truth about mining? The truth is, mining is a matter of the heart: the heart of our community, the heart of every family, and the heart of each and every citizen. The choice each person makes to support or oppose bringing mining back into our community - after 40 years and three generations of healing – well, that’s a matter of heart and conscience. And we believe that is the truth about mining.

For more information, visit www.rosamine.org.