The Black Thunder Coal Mine in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and the North Grindstone Coal Mine in Illinois are both coal strip mines. Since both mines use area stripping to mine for their coal, the impacts have resulted in environmental degradation on top soil, groundwater, and the surrounding environments.
The Black Thunder Coal Mine is the largest surface coal mine in North America and since its opening in 1977, "The mine has produced and delivered around 2.2 billion tons of coal." Around 15-75m of overburden had to be stripped after the topsoil was stored for use during restoration.The mine relies heavily on cast blasting or explosives to move between 20 to 30% of the overburden. Some overburden from mines may contain toxic substances such as acid or alkaline which are proven to be harmful for the surrounding environment through acid rain drainage.
At the Black Thunder Coal Mine, they use a process known as area stripping which is when areas of topsoil are stripped from the earth and stored for the eventual restoration of the mined areas. Then, once the seem is uncovered the workers use giant drag lines to remove the coal and take it to the processing facility on the mine. Once the coal is broken down, it is put on freight trains and then shipped all around the United States to be used for generating electricity, producing steel, the manufacturing of cement, and for fuel.
However, the North Grindstone Coal Mine in Illinois is going through a rather successful restoration project in attempt to restore the environment damaged by the mine. It began after a long list with a total of 624 violations to the Clean water Act were filed on the mine all of which had negative impacts on Grindstone Creek. The contaminated water that is released and drained from the mine flows into the Grindstone Creek and leads to the Illinois River contaminating that water source as well as the surrounding environment. Most of the violations against the mine were over an excess amounts of iron, manganese, sulfates, and pH acidity.
According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the surface lands will be restored once the coal is extracted from the earth. Long time mine engineer Greg Arnett stated that, " Trees have been planted as close to the operating pit as possible to restore the resource we removed." He also said that the mine is now running in the most environmentally sensitive way possible to insure that there is minimal permanent damage to the environment once the coal is extracted.
Both the Black Thunder Mine in Wyoming and the North Grindstone Mine in Illinois are two North American coal mines that use the technique known as area stripping to find their coal. Since both mines use this technique, it has proven to be detrimental to the air and water sources and the surrounding environments for both areas. The Black Thunder mine hasn't had any violations so far but with the long list against the North Grindstone Mine, they have been working to provide a more environmentally sensitive plan to be able to continue with their mining.
Work Cited:
"The Center for Land Use Interpretation." The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.
"Our Mines." Arch Coal, Inc. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.
"Chapter 2: The Environmental Effects of Strip Mining - The Strip Mining Handbook." Chapter 2: The Environmental Effects of Strip Mining - The Strip Mining Handbook. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.
"Black Thunder Thermal Coal Mine, Wyoming." Mining Technology. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.
"In Illinois Water." In Illinois Water. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
"The Illinois Coal Industry." Illonois.gov. 2010. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
"Black Thunder Thermal Coal Mine, Wyoming, United States of America." The BE-1300 Dragline, Originally Built at Coal Creek, Was Walked across the Prairie to Black Thunder. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
