⛏️ Coal Mining: Economics & Environmental Impact

Operate your own coal mining company in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. Balance financial profit against environmental responsibility — every decision has a real cost.

HS-ESS3-2 | Earth & Space Sciences

1 Company Setup

2 Pre-Mining Survey

3 Mining Operations

4 Financial Analysis

5 Reflection

Company Setup: Appalachian Coal LLC

Scenario: You are the owner of a small coal mining start-up preparing to begin surface operations in West Virginia. You have $20.00 in startup capital. Spend it on a mine lease and equipment, then extract as much coal as possible — but any land you disturb outside your permitted lease boundary triggers mandatory reclamation fees.

Step 1 — Choose Your Two Primary Business Goals

Select exactly 2 goals your company will prioritize during this operation.

💰 Maximize financial profit 💧 Protect local water sources & streams 🦌 Preserve wildlife habitat 🌄 Maintain the scenic landscape & topsoil

Step 2 — Purchase Your Mine Site Lease

The lease covers the permitted extraction area. Larger leases cost more but contain more coal.

🪨 Standard Seam Mine

$4.00

• Permitted lease area: 44 grid squares
• Coal reserves: 8 whole + 6 partial seams
• Shallow deposit — moderate yield

💎 Premium Vein Mine

$7.00

• Permitted lease area: 61 grid squares
• Coal reserves: 14 whole + 4 partial seams
• Deep rich deposit — higher yield

Step 3 — Purchase Mining Equipment

You need at least one tool to begin operations. Each tool is one-time equipment cost.

⛏️ Hand Pick — $3.50 each

Precise, controlled extraction. Ideal for careful miners targeting specific seams.

0 = $0.00

🔩 Pneumatic Drill — $5.00 each

Faster extraction rate. Higher upfront cost but covers more area per work session.

0 = $0.00

💰 Startup Budget Tracker

Starting Capital:+ $20.00

Mine Lease:− $0.00

Hand Picks:− $0.00

Pneumatic Drills:− $0.00

Remaining Capital: $20.00

Pre-Mining Environmental Survey

Study the landscape before breaking ground. The amber dashed border marks your permitted lease boundary. Record the natural features inside your mine area — you are legally required to restore any you disturb.

🌲 Forest 🌾 Rich Topsoil 🦌 Deer Habitat 🏔️ Scenic Vista 💧 Watershed ⬜ Bare Rock Lease Boundary

📋 Features Inside Your Mine Boundary

🌲 Forest —

🌾 Rich Topsoil —

🦌 Deer Habitat —

🏔️ Scenic Vista —

💧 Watershed —

⬜ Bare Rock —

Total squares in lease boundary: —

📉 Running Costs

Mine Lease: $0.00

Equipment: $0.00

Operations:$0.00

Reclamation:$0.00

Total Costs:$0.00

📈 Revenue

Whole coal (×$5): $0.00

Partial coal (×$0.50):$0.00

Gross Profit:$0.00

Net: $20.00

Squares mined: 0

Outside boundary: 0

Mining time: 0.0 min

Mine Site — Click squares to extract coal

🌲 🌾 🦌 🏔️ 💧 ⚠️ Boundary violation

⚠️ Mining outside the amber dashed boundary costs $1.50 per square in reclamation fees.

⛏️ Coal Inventory

Whole seams × $5.00

Partial seams × $0.50

Mining Notes:

• ⚫ Whole seam = intact deposit ($5.00)

• ◗ Partial seam = fragmented deposit ($0.50)

• Each square = 0.5 min operation time ($0.50)

• Mining outside the permitted lease boundary may contain coal, but reclamation fees still apply.

📊 Financial Analysis

Starting Capital:+ $20.00

Costs

1. Mine Lease: −$0.00

2. Equipment — Hand Picks (0 × $3.50): −$0.00

3. Equipment — Drills (0 × $5.00): −$0.00

4. Operations (0.0 min × $1.00/min): −$0.00

5. Reclamation (0 sq × $1.50): −$0.00

Total Costs:$0.00

Revenue

6. Whole Coal Seams (0 × $5.00): +$0.00

7. Partial Coal Seams (0 × $0.50): +$0.00

Gross Profit:$0.00

Net Result: $0.00

🌿 Environmental Impact

Features Disturbed by Mining

🤔 Reflection Questions

Use specific data from your Financial Analysis to support your answers.

1. You chose goals: —. Looking at your results, did your mining actions actually align with those goals? Use at least two numbers from your financial analysis to support your answer.

2. If you could run this mining operation again, would you keep the same goals? What specific changes to your strategy (equipment, mine choice, where you dig) would increase profit AND reduce environmental damage?

3. Identify 2 specific reasons your reclamation costs were what they were. How would you reduce reclamation costs in a future operation?

4. We assigned a dollar value to extracted coal. Should we also assign monetary values to natural features — forests that produce oxygen, watersheds that supply clean water, habitats that sustain wildlife? Who should determine those prices, and how would pricing nature change mining decisions?

5. After your mine is exhausted, what should happen to the site? Describe a realistic post-mining land reclamation plan that addresses each natural feature your operation disturbed.