Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining: Why the Faith Community Believes it Must End

I lift up my eyes to the mountains -

from where will my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

National Council of Churches USA

Mountaintop Removal Blast

Tyler

Shantha

Will

National Council of ChurchesWork to End Mountaintop Removal

More than 10 Years of Work Together on this Issue- Ex. Cease Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, 2000 (UMC)

Creating and Sharing Energy Stewardship Resources - Christian Education- Green Building Toolkits

Bringing Christian Witness to the Administration and Congress- Denominational Sign-On Letter-Postcard Campaign-Meetings with key stakeholders and people of faith

Partnership with Working Films to host “Dirty Business” documentary screenings, with accompanying worship resource and discussion guide

Learn more about our work at:http://nccecojustice.org/energy/index_newMTR.php

Rev. Greg Griffey

Hospital ChaplainOrdained Baptist Minister

Chathum Hill Church

North Fork of the Holston River

Appalachia’s Churches:What’s in a Name?

• Zion United Methodist Church• St. Ann’s Catholic Church• Marion First Baptist Church• St. Matthew Lutheran Church• Christ Episcopal Church• First Congregational United Church of Christ

Appalachia’s Churches:What’s in a Name?

• Big Rock Creek Baptist Church• Buckeye Hollow Free Pentecostal Holiness• Crabtree United Methodist Church• Razor Ridge Missionary Baptist Church• Walnut Grove Church• Rich Valley Presbyterian Church• Flat Ridge Church of God

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Appalachian Coal Mining and Public Health:

Michael Hendryx, PhD

October, 2011

Health Disparities and the Environmental Riskscape

• Population health outcomes driven by poverty and education

• Disadvantaged populations are exposed to greater environmental risks

• Coal mining environments have elevated riskscapes– Mountaintop mining concentrates the

disadvantages

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Mountaintop Mining• Removes the entire tops of

mountains and ridges• Explosives and draglines

reach coal seams hundreds of feet deep

• Spoil is deposited into adjacent valleys

• Has permanently buried over 1,200 miles of streams

• Will impact >1.4 million acres

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13Source: Annual Coal Reports, Energy Information Administration (*figures for 1986-1989 imputed)

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

Number of Appalachian Coal Miners 1985-2009

Nu

mb

er

14Sources: Energy Information Administration and West Virginia Coal Association

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

200000

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

West Virginia Coal Production and Employment 1980 - 2009

Production Employment

Pro

du

ctio

n i

n 1

000

To

ns

Em

plo

ymen

t

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Independent Assessment of Coal Economy

• For every mining job, 2.38 other jobs are created (not 5-8)

• Direct, indirect and induced benefits: $8.08 billion in 2005 dollars

Source: University of Kentucky report, 2001, funded by ARC

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Disparities in Mining AreasAppalachian Coal Mining

Other Appalachian

Rest of Nation

% college education*

11.7 13.8 17.1

Median household income *

$28,054 $32,596 $36,753

Unemployment rate*

7.4 6.2 5.2

Poverty rate* 19.6 15.6 13.1

Area Resource File 2006 adjusted for age, race/ethnicity and sex

* Group differences significant at p<.0001

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2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 20070

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Poverty Rates for Children 0-17 by Mining Activity 2000-2007 for KY, TN, VA, & WV

MTMOther coalNo coal

Year

%

Source: Area Resource File 2008 and EIA

Total Age-Adjusted Mortality per 100,000 for the Years 1979-2007 by County Group

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1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

Coal mining counties Other Appalachian counties Rest of Nation

Age-adjusted mortality per 100,000 by MTM status

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2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006700

800

900

1000

1100

MTMOther AppalachianNon-Appalachain

Year

Rate

20

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Coal-Mining Other Appalachia Nation

Age-Adjusted Lung Cancer Mortality per 100,000, years 2000-2004

Hendryx, O’Donnell & Horn, Lung Cancer, 2008

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Cardiopulmonary and kidney disease mortality

• Chronic heart, lung, & kidney disease mortality rates are higher in coal mining areas than the rest of Appalachia or the nation– CDC mortality data 2000-2004– Adjustments for smoking, age, sex, race, poverty,

education, rural-urban setting, insurance rates, physician supply, region

• Results are concentrated in MTM areas

2000-2004 Total Heart Disease Mortality per 100,000

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Mining > 4 million Mining up to 4 million Non-mining 0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

MaleFemale

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Self-Reported Health

• Greater coal mining is associated with higher rates of:– Chronic cardiovascular, respiratory, and kidney disease

• National 2006 BRFSS data show higher rates of heart attack and coronary heart disease

• People in Appalachian mining areas report more days of poor health and activity limitations– Men and women, young and old– Controlling for smoking, alcohol use, BMI, age, gender, race/ethnicity,

marital status, income, education, rural/urban setting, doctor supply– Effects are concentrated in MTM areas

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Low Birth Weight• Low birth rate 16% in heavy mining areas; 14% in

moderate areas of WV– Control for mother’s age, smoking, drinking, education,

prenatal care

• Higher LBW risk concentrated in MTM areas

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Birth Defects in MTM Zones

• Babies born in MTM zones have 42% higher risk of birth defects, 2000-2003– Risk for heart and lung defects was 181% higher in

MTM areas– Controlling for mother’s age, race/ethnicity,

education, prenatal care, infant sex, smoking, alcohol use, co-morbid diabetes, and rural setting.

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Academic Performance

• Students in mining counties of WV are significantly more likely to fail standardized tests– Grades 3-8,10– Controlling for low income, county high school

education rate, class size, teacher quality, school size

– Approximately 1,600 excess fails per year.

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Appalachian Coal Mining Correlates to Public Health:

• Become stronger as mining levels increase• Present for women, men, and children• Present across multiple data sources and health

outcomes• Become stronger in closer proximity to mining

activity• Concentrated in MTM areas

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29

Air Quality at Prep Facility

Figure 1. Daily PM10 Mean Values in Two Locations

0

50

100

150

200

6/10

/200

8

6/17

/200

8

6/24

/200

8

7/1/

2008

7/8/

2008

7/15

/200

8

7/22

/200

8

7/29

/200

8

8/5/

2008

8/12

/200

8

PM

10 Standard

Mean PM10

Daily average significantly higher than the standard on 33 of 43 days

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Explosion over the town of Dorothy

MTM and Control Air Samples, Nov-Dec. 2010

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Well water in the town of Rawl, West Virginia

Photo: Antrim Casky, 2008 Photo: Nat Geographic, 2006

Tests of Well and Groundwater• Arsenic in ~ ½ of 179 wells

in central Appalachia, most at levels known to increase cancer risk (Shiber)

• Ground water in mined areas of Appalachia have higher sulfate, iron, manganese, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, zinc, ph, and turbidity (McAuley & Kozar, USGS report)

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Tests of Well and Groundwater

• Tests of 15 wells exceeded standards for 9 metals including lead, arsenic, manganese, barium, beryllium, selenium (Stout)

• NY Times: Clean Water Act violations not being enforced

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© Damon Winter/The New York Times

Public Water Uncertainties

• From 2001 through 2009, there were 17,362 water quality treatment violations reported to the EPA for West Virginia:– 86 per facility in MTM areas– 15 per facility in rest of the state– Most violations were failures to sample for

organics as required– Estimated health violations about 5 times higher

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What is the Value of a Life (statistically speaking)?

• VSL research– EPA and FDA studies place VSL at $4.67 to $7.74

million, in 2005 dollars

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Figure 1. Total Age-Adjusted Mortality per 100,000 for the Years 1979-2005, by County Group

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

Coal mining counties Other Appalachian counties Rest of Nation

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The Human Cost of Coal MiningCost estimate in billions compared to:

VSL in millions:

Appalachia 1979-2005

Appalachia 1999-2005

Nation 1979-2005

Nation 1999-2005

$4.67 $18.563 $20.697 $41.283 $51.010

$7.74 $30.766 $34.304 $68.422 $84.544

Excess annual deaths:

3,975 4,432 8,840 10,923

Conclusions and Recommendations• Mountaintop mining creates air and water pollution

that likely impact human health• The health and environmental costs of coal mining

outweigh its economic benefits• Investigate mechanisms• Need to invest in economic diversification• MTM should stop

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Sharman Chapman-Crane

Faith Activist, Kentucky

Under Darkening Skies

By: Jeff Chapman-Crane

Sam Gilbert

In the Days of the Prophet

Sludge Ponds in Letcher County

Patty Amburgey

Jerry Banks

Acid Mine Drainage

Voice of the Prophets, By Jeff Chapman-Crane

The Agony of Gaia, By Jeff Chapman-Crane

Under Darkening Skies

By: Jeff Chapman-Crane

Other Faith-Based Groups Working on Ending Mountaintop Removal

• Christians for the Mountains– Website FULL of great resources and action

opportunities!• Catholic Committee of Appalachia

– Had an Appalachia pilgrimage in October• Lindquist Environmental Appalachian Fellowship

– 40 days of prayer for the mountains• Restoring Eden

Sign the petition to end Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining at: http://nccecojustice.org/energy/MTRPetition.php

Take Action by Signing this Postcard Petition– and Keep in Touch. You can reach us at info@nccecojustice.org. Thanks for joining!