Residents of coalfields in Virginia and West Virginia asked Alpha Natural Resources to stop mountain top removal near their homes.
The coalition of residents from the Radical Action for Mountain People's Survival has plans to present letters to the Abingdon based company asking the company adopt a more sustainable future for Appalachia.
Alpha Natural Resources said that it was planning to acquire Richmond based Massey Energy in a $7.1 billion buyout. The residents hope that Alpha Natural Resources will be more willing to find alternative methods of mining in the two states as compared to Massey Energy.
Alpha Natural Resources recently came up with a new website on the truth about surface mining and so the residents are justifiably worried that they will continue with the practice. As per the website while surface mining is not without temporary environmental impact it is vital to development. The residents said that they would continue with their fight against the practices of surface mining till the companies stopped.
Surface mining operations are typically far more cost effective than underground mining operations. That is why most companies are happy to practice surface mining whenever possible. However environmentalists claim that the practice is toxic and devastating to the environment in the region where it is performed.