Jiffy Coal Company wants to mine in the NW part of Whetpebble on Drypebble Mountain. Is Whetpebble going to let them? It is your job to decide whether Jiffy Coal will do more harm than good. Here are some facts to consider:

• All streams in Whetpebble flow into Lake Hopper.
• The wind usually blows from north to south.
• Drypebble Mountain has steep slopes.
• Rain that falls on Drypebble flows into Patterson Run and Mills Creek.
• Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are fossil fuels. When burned for energy, they pollute the air with a variety of chemical compoinds that are caught in the atmosphere and form acid rain, smog, and are believed to cause the "greenhouse effect".
• Coal is the dirtiest polluter of the three fossil fuels. Emissions from coal-burning power plants include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, soot, fly ash, and bottom ash. However, new technology has developed scrubbers that wen placed on smokestacks of power plants can reduce harmful emissions by 90%.
• Petroleum and natural gas supplies continue to decrease as humans use it for gasoline, heating, electricity, and manufacturing. However, coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the United States and the demand for coal will probably increase dramatically in the future as petroleum and natural gas supplies run out.
• Different varieties of coal contain different amounts of sulfur. When mining coal, the waste water from mines contains sulfuric acid. If enough sulfuric acid is produced, it will change pH levels in the soil and water, pollute drinking water supplies and eventually harm the wildlife.
• Strip mining involves removing surface layers of soil and rock to reach the coal underneath, leaving a large, visible scar on the side of the mountains. Many states now require coal companies to do post-reclaimation by replacing soil and planting new trees, but if steep sopes have been cut and the soil is too poluted to grow vegetation, new plants are washed away and tons of soil can slide downhill and collect as sediment at the bottom of mountains and in streams. Somelands are so damaged by strip mining, they can never be used again while others have been slowly restored by nature.
• Large tailings piles of wast soil and rock are usually formed at mining sites.
• Mining equipment is very noisy and explosives are used.

Consider the following questions when making a decision...

1. What will mining in Whetpebble do to the economy?
2. What are the short-term and long-term effects of mining? Which are the most important?
3. How will your lifestyle be altered if Jiffy Coal Company is allowed to mine? How will your children and future generations be affected?
4. Where will emissions from the power plant blow? What will they do?
5. Where will mine tailings and waste water be stored?
6. What other information would be helpful in making a decision? What questions do you have for Jiffy Coal?

Each Homeowner's group gets 1 vote. List 3 reasons for your final decision.