There's been some questions and discussion on one of our blog posts (http://www.centerforemergingmedia.com/blog/day-2-coal-river-valley) regarding mountain top removal outside of West Virginia. I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with how extensively MTR is used in different areas, both in the US and internationally, and could share some information here.

Also, I think it would be useful to explain some of the issues associated with different methods of mining, as well as the processing and burning of coal.