The Appalachian mountain range is the oldest mountain range on earth
It is also one of the most biologically diverse regions on earth.
According to the EPA, More than 7 percent of Appalachian forests have been destroyed between 1985 and 2001.
As of 2001, more than 1,000 miles
of Appalachian streams were buried
as a result of mountaintop removal.
Mountaintop removal uses a dragline, which is a huge piece of machinery that costs $100 million dollars, but is cheaper for the coal companies because it eliminates jobs.
Inside the mountains, there is a lot of coal.
Mountaintop removal kills jobs and kills the environment
In the early 1970s, coal companies found a more efficient way to mine--Mountaintop removal.
This is what it does to mountains.
Even with so-called "clean coal" technologies, coal remains the dirtiest form of energy in existence.
We can solve this problem
The total area destroyed so far
by mountaintop removal is
about the size of Delaware.
Alternative energy technologies could create a new wave of skilled labor jobs.
But are there really any good options?
How effective can clean energy actually be?