But the USGS official, geologist Jim Eychaner, said those conclusions had not been finalized. No documents about the conclusions have been released for public review, he said Federal officials have delayed the release of their overall mountaintop removal study until next year. The results probably won't be made public until after the 4th Circuit rules on the Haden appeal. The stuff mountains are made of In old-time strip mining, machines chipped away at hillsides to expose coal veins. But in mountaintop removal, explosives blast off entire hilltops to uncover layers of coal seams.
Huge shovels dig away the coal.
In West Virginia alone, DEP officials have approved permits that would allow more than 775 miles of streams to be buried by valley fills, according to a computer analysis of agency records. In July 1998, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and a group of coalfield residents filed a federal court lawsuit to try to curb mountaintop removal. Lawyers for the citizens alleged the state DEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had illegally approved dozens of mountaintop removal permits. They said the permits did not require companies to protect streams or properly reclaim mined land. Most of the claims in the suit were settled.