( CNN ) -- Over the past few decades , there has been a shift toward more mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia . Mountaintop mining blasts apart mountains and deposits debris in nearby valleys to reach the rich coal seams buried inside . About 50 % of U.S. power comes from burning coal , and about a third of West Virginia 's coal is mined this way . But 57 % of respondents to a CNN/ORC International Poll say they oppose mountaintop mining . Miners and coal companies say mountaintop removal projects provide much-needed jobs . Their opponents say the cost of those jobs -- to the environment and nearby communities -- is just too high . In CNN In America 's documentary , `` Battle for Blair Mountain : Working in America , '' Soledad O'Brien reports on all sides . For many in West Virginia , it feels like a choice : steady jobs or a healthy environment . What would you choose ? Share your comments below .
Mountaintop removal coal mining provides jobs in West Virginia . Environmentalists say it destroys nature and creates health problems . `` Battle for Blair Mountain : Working in America '' airs August 14 and August 20 .