What was that, Greg Stumbo and Rand Paul, about the magic of mountaintop removal and its ability to create zillions of acres of flat land that gets used for business?
But data obtained by The Associated Press indicates that just a small percentage of the leveled Appalachian mountain landscape has been transformed into new developments such as businesses, prisons, golf courses and subdivisions.
Business and political leaders in the two Appalachian states most dependent on coal have held up the developments as an economic necessity and a justification for blasting away mountaintops in the depressed region, where most well-paying jobs are connected to coal.
-SNIP-
Of the more than 345,700 acres of mining lands in eastern Kentucky that have been approved for a specific post-mining purpose, just over 6,300 acres, or about 1.8 percent, have been designated for “commercial,” “industrial” or “residential” developments, according to data provided by the state Department of Natural Resources.
Click here to read the entire AP piece.
Yes, we all knew Stumbo and crew were completely full of it. And during the 2007 gubernatorial campaign when Greg was Bruce Lunsford’s running mate, the entire campaign staff laughed at Greg’s hilarious assertion that mountaintop removal was awesome.
Fat chance.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Mark H (Not Hebert) // Dec 30, 2010 at 2:16 pm
The problem with the economy in Eastern KY, aside from thee obvious, is the lack of accessibility, not flat building space. Even with Hal’s highway to nowhere, the surrounding states are just as isolated geographically.
If the state wants to increase employment in these areas, they need to concentrate of education and non-logistical dependent industries like customer service, computer support, information/payment processing. I would rather get in touch with Bob from Prestonsburg, KY when I have a computer problem, than end up with “Bob” in Mumbai. At least someone in Prestonsburg would know that was 3am when I called and I don’t have “telephone box” on the pole outside my house.
If they could flatten the surrounding mountains as well, they may have a shot. That argument is grounded in either deception or stupidity. There is no quick way to get anywhere by road in the mountains.
2 James R. // Dec 31, 2010 at 9:11 am
Roads are not the problem in Eastern KY. It takes 3.5 hours to get from Louisville to Whitesburg KY on the Va border. It takes the same amount of time to get to Paducah in WKY. (BTW-Hal Rogers only got his name put on the Daniel Boone Parkway, he did not build it)
The problem is no investor wants to invest in a community that they have to install sewers etc and intrastructure to built a plant, that is governments job and they will go somewhere else.
No investor wants to have a workforce that is not as educated as other workforces or one that has a serious drug problem.
No investor wants to buy property and build a chalet to rent to folks for tourism and 6 months later, the “view is destroyed” along with the water.
So the investment goes somewhere else.
Eastern KY can out tourism Gatlinburg any day of the week if given the chance. It is simply beautiful, where it has not been scarred to death. Sadly, it will never be given a chance because the politics of ignorance and short term gain by politicians in Frankfort and the effective fear campaign by the out of state coal companies.
If coal and flat mountains were to make Appalachia wealthy, it would be the most wealthy part of the state already, not the poorest part of the state. God knows galizions of tons of coal flows from the region and little money remains in it and there are plenty of flat mountains waiting for investors. Whats left is only the destruction and bad water. Go to ohvec.org and look at pictures and ask yourself if you want to call a Realtor and move your wife and kids there.
It is a region I love with all my heart because many of the people are damn good folks stuck in hell.
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