In Old Testament on Tuesday, we talked about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Dr. Bucur emphasized that these first few chapters of Genesis are a liturgical text, and connected them with the temple worship in later books of the Old Testament; The Garden of Eden is the place where God dwells; the Temple. Adam and Eve are the Levites, or priests; they tend the garden, following the Order God has set out. Thus, their dominion is not one of exploitation of “natural resources” for human gain; it is one of responsibility and loving care; an act of worship, of following God’s precincts.

Thursday evening, Sheila and I arrive for the Army Corps of Engineers hearing in Pittsburgh an hour early. The Corps is soliciting input regarding the suspension of permits to coal companies which presently allow them to dump solid waste from Mountaintop Removal (MTR) mine sites into waterways. We know we’re at the right convention center when we spot a line of people dressed in casual, baggy clothing of subdued colors. Hippies. When we get inside, security checks our bags and wands us. It’s getting crowded. They have seating for 400 people, one of the guards tells me. It looks like there are about 300 people. Most of them are wearing teal shirts that say “Coal=Job+Energy” and “FORCE: Families for PA Coal”.

It becomes clear that, as clothing has indicated, there are two distinct sides represented tonight. Each frames the issue at hand differently. The people in the teal shirts are CEOs of coal mines, miners, and family and friends of miners. They are against suspending the permits; it would mean increased operating costs for mines, which they argue would lead to the closing of mines, and thousands of jobs lost. One speaker illustrates his point by citing the loss of 6,500 mine jobs in Kentucky as a result of new regulations for the coal industry. The mismatched hippies counter that any reduction in coal production would easily be replaced with renewable energy. Many of them traveled from West Virginia to voice their support for this proposed suspension of dumping permits. They tell stories of friends and communities that are effected by MTR’s impact on water quality: how toxic metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury from sludge dams on MTR sites leech into water tables, polluting drinking water and causing toxic metal poisoning and other health complications. They speak of streams they used to fish in, which can no longer support wildlife. An ecologist spoke of the Myth of Reclamation. Mycorrhizae, the microscopic fungi found in top soil, which delivers nutrients to plant roots, dies when top soil is piled up, for instance during the process of surface-mining coal. Thus, even when the original top soil is replaced at a mine site and seeded, it can no longer support the indigenous plants and original ecosystem, as the mycorrhizae are gone.

More philosophical issues connected to Mountaintop Removal Mining in particular and environmental degradation in general were raised. Why do we “soil our nest”, ruining our home and the natural habitat of so many species that also call Appalachia home? What about our grandchildren? What kind of natural environment will they enjoy? This reminded me of Tuesday’s class. Are we being good stewards of God’s creation? Or do we weigh other concerns, like our thirst for cheap energy and the availability of high-paying jobs, as more important? Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden for eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now that humanity has that knowledge, will we use it to serve God and care for His creation?