Why are issues surrounding mountaintop removal at the core of many Aurora Lights programs?
Mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR) results in complete habitat loss and destruction of entire headwater systems. Local communities are also impacted by blasting, loss of water quality, loss of entire streams, loss of community land, health impacts from coal dust and toxic slurry, and increased flooding. Therefore, many more specific issues of environmental and social injustice in this area can be traced back to the impacts of coal extraction through the process of MTR.
