Coal is a loser for the environment, communities

To the editor:

If Alaska keeps leasing our public lands for open-pit coal strip mining that destroys prime fish and wildlife habitat, Alaska, and particularly the Mat-Su, will become the next Appalachia, where hundreds of miles of streams have been destroyed and thousands of acres of wilderness have been ruined, compromising the health, wellbeing and quality of life of its residents.

Disproportionate numbers of health, environmental and economic disparities have been found to exist in Appalachia, as evidenced by a multitude of studies covering a variety of subjects, including mine-impacted watershed pollution, drinking water contamination, decreased quality of life among residents, advanced mortality rates, birth defects and economic loss.

The coal companies that operate in Appalachia have promised jobs and economic prosperity for more than 100 years, yet this region remains one of the poorest areas of the country. The disparities and livelihood of Appalachia are interwoven with a common thread: coal mining. This common thread may make separation of the myriad issues that is necessary to gain a full understanding of the situation exceedingly difficult, but clearly shows us that coal is a loser for the environment and for the communities forced to rely on it. Big coal only benefits the few, while the many are made to suffer.

We cannot afford to gamble with our future; we don’t need the legacy of catastrophe that comes with coal mining. Alaska needs to develop her resources in more responsible and financially viable ways than investment in coal. She, and we, deserve better!

Rene Dervaes

Wasilla