So you know “mountaintop coal mining” is the coal industries new euphemism for what has been called mountaintop removal for decades. “Mountaintop coal mining” though only slightly different, may mean a huge difference in conceptualization for someone who is unfamiliar with the practice. The euphemism implies a traditional underground mine near the top of a mountain instead of what it is, the top of the mountain, sometimes the whole of the mountain, completely removed.

As far as a great example of energy efficiency, check out what Austin Texas did instead of building a coal plant. The one city saves over 600 megawatts thanks to efficiency measures. There is nothing keeping other places from doing it except for financial incentives for the power producers who usually only get payed if MORE electricity is produced. Here’s the story on Austin : http://www.eere.energy.gov/states/alternatives/virtual_power_plant.cfm