Mining

• Damages underground aquifers and makes water undrinkable 
• Clears trees, plants, and topsoil; destroys and fragments forests and wildlife habitat, ruins streams, erodes soil, and stirs up dust pollution (Sierra Club) 
• Pollutes water: as mixtures of water and heavy metals leak out from abandoned mines and valleys they damage the soil and acidify streams and lakes (Sierra Club) 
• Releases carbon monoxide pollution from explosives used during the process  
  
• Gives miners a high risk of developing black lung disease and suffering on-the-job injuries due to underground accidents and a high workplace fatality rate  
  
• Diminishes the aesthetic value of land, and raises noise and air pollution for residents nearby (NRDC)
  
• "Washing"(preparing the coal) uses water and chemicals to separate impurities from mined coal to make it burn more easily (Sierra Club)
• Requires at least 70 million gallons of water per day in the United States (Union of Concerned Scientists) 
• Allows pockets of trapped methane (the second most potent global warming compound) to escape from ventilation systems (NRDC)
• Cracks the foundation of homes and damages wells (NRDC)

• Diesel trucks, trains, and barges release massive quantities of air pollution in the form of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and carbon dioxide (NRDC) 
• Transportation of coal slurry (coal mixed with water) stresses the water supply (NRDC)
• 75% of coal is transported by railroads, which are one of the largest producers of soot and smog (Sierra Club)

• On average, 20 pounds of coal per person, per day are burned (Washington Post)
• Coal-fired power plants emit 1/3 of the United States total carbon dioxide (Energy Information Agency) 
• Power plant pollution kills an estimated 24,000 people per year (American Lung Association)
• Uses large quantities of water for cooling (NRDC)  
• Coal-fired power plants are the largest emitters of human-generated mercury pollution, accounting for 40% (Environmental Protection Agency) 
• Releases nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, lead compounds, arsenic, mercury, and hydrochloric acid (NRDC)

• Burning coal produces 12 million tons of liquid and solid waste annually, much of which contains toxic compounds (NRDC) 
• Annual waste is estimated to contain 100,000 tons of toxic metals (NRDC)
• Waste that comes into contact with water can infiltrate nearby drinking water supplies and aquatic habitats (NRDC) 
• Waste left in impoundments has a high leakage potential (NRDC)
• Most estimates of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology suggest that the technology will not be commercially available until 2030; the technology to run the plants is expected to use anywhere from 10-40% more energy than current plants (Greenpeace) 
• Much uncertainty surrounds long-term storage feasibility of CCS (UCS)