For coal to attain sustainable development, it should embrace the social dimension feature, the economic feature and the environmental feature. Coal mining has not been able to effectively embrace the environmental feature which is a very important feature for maintenance of sustainable development (Glasson et al., 2005). The environment has been destroyed by certain types of coal mining operations. As Lockwood (2009) states, surface mining destroys forests and groundcover, leading to flood related injury and mortality, as well as soil erosion and the contamination of water supplies (AH Lockwood, 2009). Mountaintop removal mining involves blasting down to the level of the coal seam. Lockwood (2009) states that the coal seam is often hundreds of feet below the surface, thus depositing the resulting rubble in adjoining valleys. This surface mining technique damages freshwater aquatic ecosystems and the surrounding environment by burying streams and headwaters (AH Lockwood, 2009). Therefore the mining and utilization of coal as a source of energy has not achieved sustainable development using the surface mining technique. The social dimension has not been attained as well. This is because the coal mining has been in conflict with the neighboring community due to harm to its workers. The company Massey Energy agreed to pay a $2.5 million fine and a $1.7 million civil settlement for various violations of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, in what prosecutors described as the largest financial settlement in the coal industry's history (Power, 2010). According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2010, Massey Energy (Ticker MEE) brought in approximately 2.7 billion dollars in 2009. A 1.7 million dollar fine for violations that causes the deaths of 25 workers is not sufficient. With these fines, a rational company would rather pay the fines, than spend the money to invest in further precautions. Furthermore, According to USA Today, coal mine operators have paid just 7% of the fines they have received for major health and safety violations in the past three years (Frank, 2010). Massey Energy is appealing many of its fines because the relaxed regulators allow this. Federal regulators cannot shut down a plant while fines are in appeal, and the appeal back log in enormous (Frank, 2010). It is imperative to expedite the appeal process, for coal mining leads U.S. industries in fatal injuries and is associated with chronic health problems among miners, such as black lung disease (AH Lockwood, 2009). The relaxed regulation policies by the federal government are causing these concerns. The federal government needs to make sure these companies pay the fines rather than the companies appealing each and every fine. There needs to be ventilation in the mines to prevent black lung disease. The U.S. is doing a better job in protecting people in mining than some of its counterparts. In China, coal mining is worse than the U.S., it has the highest number of coal mining related deaths in the world, with official statistic 6,027 deaths in 2004 (Bulletin, 2006).
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