What are some of the environmetnal concerns in the northeast of America?

Answer 1

I can mostly speak about the coal regions, both the anthracite (hard coal) and bituminous (softer coal). The anthracite coal region extend from lower western New York State to the north, New Jersey to the east over to central Pennsylvania. The bituminous coal region extends from lower eastern New York State, and from Central Pennsylvania west to Indiana, and to the south from West Virginia to Kentucky.

Air

Wherever there had been large coal mines, there was also heavy coal train usage, and both Coal-Coke furnaces as well as Steel Mills that ran on energy produced from burning coal or coke. (Coke is a product created by burning coal.) Bituminous coal burns "hot", so it was preferred for home heating and burning to give energy to steel factories, as well as to run passenger and freight trains.

BUT, burning coal or coke produces dirty smoke. Throughout many towns, the dirt from decades of coal burning can still be seen on (and in) buildings and homes. Air pollution in these States used to be quite heavy. Fog would settle in valleys and hang in the air because the fog mixed with smoke. After steel mills closed, along with legislation against pollution, the air quality has greatly improved. Yet, as long as humans rely on fossil fuels, air pollution remains a high risk.

Ground and Water

Throughout these States are old abandoned coal mines and in-use mines. Until the last 30 years, the coal mines expelled tons of contaminated water. Run-off from coal drilling along with methane released from coal mines entered fresh streams and ponds. These fresh water sources feed some water wells through ground water (underground water tables). Therefore, fresh water wells also become contaminated. Also, plants and trees died because of the pollution. Many of these effects from old mines have been corrected, but it will take decades for nature to recover.

These are just two areas of environmental concerns particular to northeast and the Mid-Atlantic states. But without coal, many things we take for granted would disappear.