As we were driving through West Virginia the other day, we saw some of the evidence of mountain top removal. Fortunately, we did not see a lot of destroyed mountains. Yet, I know that what we saw was just the tip of the iceberg and that there is much more of this type of mining throughout the state. It's sad to see a state with so much natural beauty destroying a significant amount of it for the coal. While staying in Charleston for a night, I read an article in the local magazine about this issue being on the forefront for this year's legislative agenda in the state. Many seem in favor of mountain top removal since the state wants to exploit its natural resources for profit. Yet, I have to ask myself how well the state can sustain this practice for the sake of making money in the coal industry. This is not simply strip mining where the ground can easily be converted into some other purpose. With mountain top removal, a mountain has to be made into a golf course or some other use for which it never was intended. There just seems to be something terribly wrong with changing the terrain of a state on such a permanent basis. A mountain that has existed for centuries cannot simply be replaced. It appears that some of these destroyed mountains may never even become golf courses. Yet, perhaps it is a good thing to have a few reminders of how destructive the coal industry is rather than deluding ourselves by playing a round of golf on a former mountain.