Yeah, it's footprint is far smaller, and can be filled back in and turned into a park.
What a fucked up liar you are, Westwall. Coal requires huge tracks of land to be destroyed, the overburden is dumped into the valleys adjacent to the mountains, destroying whole water sheds. Railroads must be built to transport the coal to the generators. And the generators produce huge amount of CO2, over 3 1/2 times as much CO2 by weight as coal burned. And then there is the fly ash. Whole watersheds have been poisoned by that stuff.
You say that it can be filled back in, and turned into a park? And what percentage of the scars left on the mountaintops have been converted into parks? This article list 4, with one of the conversions done in the FDR period by the CCC's. I have flown over West Virginia, and there are dozens of mountains with bare eroding tops from the coal mining.
And this is how your dear fossil fuel thieves avoid cleaning up their mess;
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How Coal Companies Avoid Paying for Mountain Top Mine Damage
Coal companies have used several legal and financial strategies to sidestep or delay paying for the environmental cleanup of mountaintop removal mines, often shifting costs to smaller, less-resourced operators.
1. Bankruptcy and Asset Transfer
When large coal companies go bankrupt, they can transfer mining permits and liabilities to other companies. For example, Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc. transferred over 300 old mining permits to smaller firms like Lexington Coal before it filed for bankruptcy in 2019. These permits carry the obligation to clean up the mines, but by moving them to financially weaker operators, the original company avoids direct liability
Georgia Public Broadcasting.
2. Shifting Permits to Smaller Operators
Mining permits are tied to specific land parcels and can be sold or transferred with state approval. Companies have used this to offload mines in need of reclamation to smaller, often insolvent operators. This means the cleanup costs fall on the new owner, who may lack the funds or resources to complete it, potentially leaving the burden for taxpayers or regulators
Georgia Public Broadcasting.
3. Delaying or Underfunding Reclamation
Some companies have prioritized short-term profits over long-term environmental compliance. In bankruptcy cases, environmental advocates have urged courts to approve reclamation work, but in many instances, these costs were deprioritized or not approved at all
ProPublica. This can leave mines with unresolved water treatment, road repairs, and land restoration needs.
4. Legal and Regulatory Loopholes
Environmental groups have challenged permits for large mountaintop removal projects, arguing that valley fills and spoil dumps violate the Clean Water Act. However, in some cases, permits have been issued despite evidence of pollution, allowing mining to continue without immediate cleanup
Appalachian Voices.
5. Community and Legal Backlash
When residents suffer from flooding, contaminated water, or unsafe land from mine runoff, they can sue. However, if the responsible company has already transferred liabilities, the new operator may be sued instead, or the case may be dismissed due to lack of funds
Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Key Takeaway
Coal companies have leveraged bankruptcy, permit transfers, and regulatory gaps to avoid paying for mountaintop mine damage. This often results in smaller operators or taxpayers covering the costs, or in cases where cleanup is never completed. Environmental advocates and legal challenges aim to close these loopholes, but enforcement remains inconsistent.
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https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/10/29/how-big-coal-companies-avoid-cleaning-their-messes
