You are here:
ESTIMATING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES FROM SURFACE MINING OF COAL IN APPALACHIA: A CASE STUDY
Citation:
Randall, A., O. Grunewald, A. Pagoulatos, R. Ausness, AND S. Johnson. ESTIMATING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES FROM SURFACE MINING OF COAL IN APPALACHIA: A CASE STUDY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-78/003.
Description:
A coherent methodology for economic valuation of the environmental damage from surface mining is presented in this report. The empirical case study was conducted in the watershed of the North Fork of the Kentucky River, a mountainous region which includes parts of six counties, four of which have been heavily impacted by surface mining of coal. The value of environmental damage from surface mining for coal in the study region was estimated under four alternative regulatory regimes: (1) the existing regulations, (2) a 'no regulations' regime, (3) a regulatory regime similar to that which would be established by a Federal surface mining and reclamation bill, and (4) an alternative regulatory framework, generated by the research team, which relies more heavily on economic incentives for damage prevention and reclamation. In this case study, legal, economic and sociological analyses were integrated. Estimates of five categories of damage were presented: aesthetic damage; deterioration of water quality for domestic, commercial and industrial uses; damages from increased flooding; damage to land and buildings; and damage to fish, wildlife and recreation related activities.