the people
"...we don't give a damn about the people on top of that mountain, all we care about is the profits we're makin'..."
- Larry Gibson, talking about the coal companies -
Larry Gibson
Larry Gibson is the father of Stanley Heirs Park, a plot of land owned by the Gibson family since the 1700's. Gibson endured murder attempts, bullet holes in his cabin, and innumerable threats from the entitities and individuals who adamantly disagree with his ideals.
Gibson just asked for one thing in regards to the mountains he spent his life protecting:
“Love them or leave them, just don’t destroy them.”
the land
water contamination
ground disruption
wildlife disturbances
The ecological community is left victim to the innumerable risks posed by moutain-top removal practices. One such example is of the impact of Selenium on this creek chub. The toxin causes obvious deformities that generally lead to premature death.
The impact on this one fish inherently affects the rest of the food web, including humans.
The violent upheavel of land caused by mountain-top removal leads to severe consequences for the stability of nearby land. Many local residents end up facing severe cracks in the foundation of their properties or contaminated waterways (due to the leakage of toxins into waterways). As is most commonly the case with mountain-top removal, the victim is responsible for remedying the negative externalities (despite such attrocities occuring in already poverty-stricken regions).
Contamination can affect waterways both directly and indirectly. Irresponsible coal companies have repeatedly been caught dumping excess toxins directly into waterways that the local community is dependent upon. In addition, when the "valley fill" is re-housed, it oftentimes impedes upon streams and rivers; the intersection causes an obvious contamination.
