TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Virginie MONTET,

TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Virginie MONTET, USA-environment-energy-pollution A June 12, 2008 photo shows heavy machinary working at a coal mine on top of Kayford Mountain in West Virginia. The mountain top has been demolished during the process to extract coal. Mountaintop removal mining (MTR), referred to in coal the industry as mountaintop mining/valley fills is surface mining involving extreme change to the summit or summit ridge of a mountain. It is used mainly with coal mining in the Appalachian Mountains, in the eastern US. The process involves using explosives to remove up to 1,000 vertical feet (304.8 meters) of rock to get to the coal. The debris is often moved into the adjacent river valleys, called a valley fill. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)