Hello. I am Dr. Marti Doyle. I am a professor at a faith based health science college in Iowa. I 

have traveled here today to remind you of the importance of the EPA exercising its regulatory 

authority for the protection of public health. While the EPA's recognition of the impact of 

smokestack emissions on health is a good start , this recognition should represent the beginning 

of the EPA's assessment of the entire fuel cycle including drilling, mining, transportation, and 

waste management. I ask that this assessment also include the human cost of mountaintop 

removal coal mining. 

In March of this year I traveled with a group of health care students to West Virginia to 

participate in the Appalachian Community Health Research Project. The purpose of this project 

was to conduct health surveys in mountaintop removal and non-mountain top coal removal 

communities. The data from these surveys is being used by Dr. Michael Hendryx to continue his 

research comparing the health of individuals in these two types of communities. 

When I first explored the possible of this trip, I approached the experience with an unbiased 

academic perspective. I thought that this would be great opportunity for students to both 

experience a different part of the country and have an opportunity to participate in research. I 

examined the two peer-reviewed journal articles based on data from previous health surveys, as 

well as similar research. I learned that cancer and disease rates are twice as high in mountaintop 

removal mining communities compared to non- mountaintop mining communities. I also learned 

that researchers have found significantly higher prevalence of birth defects in regions where 

there were mountain top removal sites. I was unprepared, however; for what I and the students 

would experience firsthand while conducting the surveys. 
The first thing that happened was that I fell in love with the land and the people of West 

Virginia! The individuals and families that opened their doors and homes to us were some of the 

most welcoming people I have ever met. They are people of strong faith. They are hardworking, 

tough, and resilient. It is clear that their families are the most important part of their lives. 

The second thing that happened is that I found myself becoming troubled as day after day I saw 

these people struggling with health challenges. After a few days of conducting surveys I found 

myself unsure if I was ready to see another individual struggling with a serious lung disease. The 

women that were my age stood out to me the most. They should be able to enjoy their lives, their 

children and grandchildren-to be able to live life fully. Instead they were struggling just to 

breathe. 

After conducting a survey with an young man who told me that he had endured multiple 

surgeries to correct a heart defect, I thought of the story that I had heard from a student who had 

participated in last year's health survey. She and her fellow students had stopped at a house and 

asked the woman who answer the door if she had time to complete the survey. The woman 

answered that she was willing to participate but was getting ready to put her child down for a 

nap. She told the students that she always rocked her child to sleep because he had been born 

with a severe heart defect. When the students returned a few days later to complete the survey, 

they talked to the grandmother of that child and found out that the day they had talked with the 

mother; the child had died while taking his nap. 
I ask you to remember that these individuals represent the human costs of our country's failure to 

properly invest in renewable energy sources. The suffering of the people of Appalachia must not 

be overlooked in any discussions of energy policy. These good people deserve better. They 

deserve to know the impact oft* coal mining on their and their family's health. They love and 

trust their country. We CAN NOT let them down. Thank you. 

Marti Doyle PhD, MSW 

mdoylegmercydesmoines.org 

Office: 515-643-6774 

Cell: 515-210-9321 

Sources 

Ahern, M.; Hendryx, M. Conley, J.; Fedorko, E.; Ducatman, A. & Zulling, K. ( 2011) . The 

association between mountaintop mining and birth defects among live births in central 

Appalachia, 1996-2003. Environ. Res. doi:10.1016/j .envres.2011.05. 

Hendryx. M. (2013). Personal and Family Health in Rural Areas of Kentucky With and Without 

Mountaintop Coal Mining. Journal of Rural Health DOI 10.111.jrh.12016. 

Hendryx, M. ; Wolfe, L.; Luo, J. & Webb, B. (2011) . Self-Reported Cancer Rates in Two Rural 

Areas of West Virginia with and Without Mountaintop Coal Mining. J Community Health. DOI 

10.1007/s10900-011-9448-5