Coal mining has been a big part of our nation for a very long time.  My great-great grandparents came over from Czechoslovakia and became West Virginia coal miners.  Coal mining has been traditionally associated with underground caves and total darkness.

But in the past few decades, the face of coal mining has changed and it’s changing the landscape around it.

Mountaintop removal mining is a method of mining coal in which mountaintops are deforested and literally removed with explosives to expose the coal beneath.

Needless to say, this isn’t a harmless act.  Streams are polluted with the mining waste, which affects the drinking water supply, as the Appalachian rivers are the source of drinking water for that part of the nation.  If you’ve seen the Appalachians, you know that the beauty of the rolling green hills and peaks is unmatched.  But imagine that vista being dotted with brown squared off mounds that contain no trees or wildlife.

That is the reality for over 500 peaks in the mountain range.  The mountain tops are typically blasted off multiple times to reveal the various geological layers.  This process also cuts mining jobs in half, leading to a more impoverished Appalachian region.

Fortunately, people are getting active about this mountain devastation.  With the newly released campaign, Music Saves Mountains, singers like Sheryl Crow and Emmylou Harris are banding together to raise awareness about mountaintop removal mining.

Specifically, they will be asking fans to contact Tennessee Gov. Bredesen to plead for his support of the Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act, which will prohibit mountains higher than 2,000 feet from being blasted.

For more information on Music Saves Mountains and to get involved, check out their website: musicsavesmountains.org.