Kentucky Coal Blog

The following is from a Op-Ed piece featured on Kentucky.com. The author discusses the positive impact surface mining has had on what is being called “the 16-county elk zone in southeastern Kentucky”.<more/>Creating a ‘New Savannah’

By Bill Carman (Kentucky.com 12/27/08)

Much has been written about the ills of surface mining. As in all human endeavors, there have been abuses, but those abuses should not be the yardstick used to judge an industry. Most drivers are not drunk drivers, most politicians are not thieves, and most surface mines are not environmental disasters.

Aside from the jobs, level land and energy produced by coal in Eastern Kentucky, surface mining has another positive impact rarely discussed.

When the early pioneers came to Central Kentucky, the Inner Bluegrass Region was teeming with bison, elk and other wildlife. The habitat was perfect, a diverse mosaic of park-like openings rich in native grasses.

Biologists now call that environment the “Bluegrass Savannah.” Of course, with a few modest exceptions, that habitat is now gone. The last elk and bison had disappeared by the mid 1800s.

Twelve years ago, a handful of visionaries who had seen the vast grasslands created by reclaimed surface mining speculated that elk just might thrive on that remote and lush environment. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources commissioned biological and sociological feasibility studies and began public access negotiations with coal companies who owned many of these huge tracts.

That work resulted in the release of the first seven elk in 1997. Today there are 10,000 wild elk on this new savannah in southeastern Kentucky.

These majestic animals have become a catalyst for tourism. Cottage industries such as horseback elk tours and the gathering of shed antlers have provided a unique sense of ownership for a population of Kentuckians who have rarely had something no one else has.

The elk have also become a focal point around which professionals with traditionally conflicting views on the environment have gathered in the spirit of cooperation. It turns out that what is good for the surface-mining industry is also good for elk, bobwhite quail, frogs, butterflies and a host of imperiled songbirds and other wild critters.

Agronomists will tell you that this reclaimed mine land is not an authentic savannah with a thick rich soil profile that took millions of years to form. That is true. But, the elk and songbirds don’t know the difference. And, in that spirit of cooperation, coal companies are now restoring soils better and planting grass species more suitable for wildlife.

Both our natural and man-made worlds are works in progress. Working strip mines are gosh-awful ugly. So were the smoke-belching Yellowstone wildfires of the late 1980′s that blackened the landscape.

That catastrophe was the subject of environmental panic. Would our beloved Yellowstone ever recover? We now know that from those ashes sprang forth a new green habitat that became a smorgasbord for Yellowstone wildlife.

Likewise, the land changes caused by surface mining have resulted in lush green hills reminiscent of the grassy mountainsides in the Rockies, now replete with the bugles of bull elk.

The 16-county elk zone in southeastern Kentucky is roughly 4 million acres in size. Much of that land is reclaimed surface mine, an area comparable to the Inner Bluegrass.

It is a region rich in music, crafts and folklore. It is now richer in diverse wildlife habitat. The sounds of bugling bull elk echoing across the mountains are now a part of the fabric of that future cultural heritage.

The story you rarely hear is that these elk and this habitat, symbols of a “New Savannah,” would not exist without surface mining. This treasure is a sustainable resource.

So, the next time you turn on the lights, think of the wildlife habitat made possible by the extraction of the coal that produced the electricity. Think of the elk.

NOTE: You can watch a video about Elk in Kentucky by following the link to the Kentucky Coal Association website
below:

LINK:

Elk in KY Video

By Bill Caylor

The “stream buffer zone” rule has existed unchanged in the federal and state surface coal mining programs since 1983. It prohibits disturbance within 100 feet of intermittent and perennial stream unless you comply with stringent restrictions. It did not and never was intended to apply to ephemeral streams. Ephemeral streams are those which flow only when it is raining.

Those who were opposed to changing the regulation want the stream buffer zone rule to apply to ephemeral streams so they can litigate and shut down coal mining operations.

The recently published and clarified stream buffer zone regulation doesn’t lessen the standard. It actually tightens the standard by requiring valley fills to be minimized. The old standard didn’t require this.

Mining, like road construction, generates left-over rock and dirt which must be placed in engineered fill areas. These fills simply cannot be constructed safely in Appalachia without impacting an ephemeral stream.

The impacted ephemeral stream is reconstructed and stream mitigation is required. For stability purposes, fills cannot be perched on the side of a steep hillside.
This is not a last-minute Bush regulation.

Rather, it is a culmination of a five-year process which started as a proposed rule in January of 2004. A revised proposal was issued for public comment in August of 2007.

The federal agency solicited public input throughout the process, receiving 43,000 comments and holding four public hearings attended by approximately 700 people.

Kentucky coal provides over 17,000 direct mining jobs, with miners earning over $58,000 per year. Coal paid over $1 billion in direct wages.

An additional 51,000 trickle down jobs have been created. We export 80 percent of our coal out-of-state, bringing over $4.3 billion back into Kentucky.
So, 85 cents on the dollar stays right here in Kentucky.
In addition, coal accounts for 92 percent of Kentucky’s electricity.

On a bright note, coal severance tax revenues are up 20 percent, which is projected to bring an unbudgeted $51 million into the state coffers for fiscal year 2009.
In this time of economic uncertainty, let’s remember that we need all forms of energy in our nation.

Kentucky is blessed with a natural resource that provides us with the fourth lowest utility rate in the nation. Why can’t we work together to produce energy safely, efficiently and with the least environmental impact to our land?

We spend far too much time arguing about who’s right and who’s wrong.

I believe all Kentuckians want to keep their jobs without worry, enjoy the mountains and flat lands in this state, be warm when it’s cold, and turn the lights on when it’s dark. Whether we agree or disagree, coal plays a role in Kentucky.