Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal Mining

by Silas House and Mari-Lynn Evans

Book Overview

In the long, complex history of coal exploitation in Appalachia, mountaintop-removal (MTR) mining is the most destructive practice yet visited upon the land and its people: Ancient forested mountainsides are blown up to extract the underlying coal, and the resulting debris is dumped into nearby valleys and streams. The politics and economics of mining in the region have long allowed coal companies virtually free rein, but in recent years, opposition...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578051665
• ISBN13: 9781578051663
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A must read for those concerned about mining in America

Mining is a dangerous thing, but some take it to the next level. "Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal Mining" discusses the rise against mountain top removal mining and the dangers it poses to the miners as well as the environment. Based on the documentary film, Coal Country discusses the harmful effects coal mining has had throughout the country, and why some people are standing up and opposing the practice. "Coal Country" is a must read for those concerned about mining in America.

A masterpiece of essays about contemporary coal mining

Shirley Stewart Burns, Mari-Lynn Evans and Silas House have done an exceptional job editing many essays by the leading opponents of mountaintop removal mining. This is the perfect companion book to the great film by Mari-Lynn Evans that I have called "the "Harlan County, USA" of the 21st century.Articles range from Nick Clooney, an Appalachian native and journalist, father of a famous son, to Ken Hechler, who wrote a great article on "how Congress enabled mountaintop removal mining." ( Ken's parody song "Almost Level, West Virginia" sung to the tune of "Almost Heaven, WV" by John Denver is also printed. Ken is working on a book of his famous political parodies.) I especially enjoyed the quotes on the side of the main text in the essays and the photographs by Mark Schmerling, Builder Levy, Jim Clark (color photos) and many other great photographs. The book includes a good list of information resources including listing other films on MTR. There has been several notable ones recently including the 2008 Pare Lorentz Award winning film BURNING THE FUTURE - COAL IN AMERICA about Maria Gunnoe, the third WV woman to win a Goldman Award for Environmental activism. Ms. Evans, as producer, has repeated her great success of "The Appalachians," creating a book worthy of the film that she produced. I told Ken that he should visit our local cineplex and watch "Avatar," a film about people like Maria Gunnoe and Larry Gibson and himself fighting a giant corporation complete with its own police force willing to do anything to extract valuable ore from a living planet. Hopefully people other than myself will connect "Avatar" which took in a record $70 million on it opening weekend to the struggle in Appalachia.