Finding the mountain...

While trying to figure resources to learn more about this mountaintop removal process and its history in Eastern Kentucky, I was lead to a book called "Lost Mountain: A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness Radical Strip Mining and the Devastation of Appalachia". The author chronicles his year in Appalachia watching this mountain be destroyed by mountaintop removal. I've submitted my requesting of purchase from Amazon. Once I've read it, I'll let you know what wisdom it holds for me.

On another note, I found an organization that I'm really interested in working with - KFTC (Kentuckians for the Commonwealth). I'm contacting them to see what I can do to help. More to come...

History Lesson...

I found this great website from the university of Florida that talks about the history of Mountaintop Removal. It's a great site because it also includes story (although they are from West Virginia) about the changing times.

Check it out:

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring07/Bartlett/history.html

Reflections...

As I embark on this journey through the rhetorical wonderland of the coal mining industry and the fight to end mountaintop removal, I find myself thinking more and more about the wealth of information that is only a phone call away. My mother's family is a coal mining family. My great-grandfather passed away many years ago from Black Lung. My great uncle is a retired coal miner and my cousins have been coal miners since they were old enough to work. This family of mine is living history and they are the best resource for firsthand knowledge of the industry and the fight happening to save their homes and heritage. I'm so lucky to have this at my fingertips and I can't wait to start learning about my history and the history of this wonderful world of Appalachia.



This is my great-grandfather, Old Man Lewis Herald. He was a coal miner and passed away of Black Lung.

Surface Mining Regulations

I had a conversation with a woman who grew up in Eastern Kentucky. She was remembering the days of her youth when she used to play in the mountains. I heard about her stealing radishes from a garden up the hill and sitting under the feet of her father as he told stories of haunts in the area. An interesting tidbit that she talked about was the old coal mines that were shut down. Once the coal mine shut down, the companies would leave the shafts and other things right where they left them. It was a dangerous practice because kids could use these things as slides. The interesting part of this conversation is the smile on her face as she tells the story of trying to slide down a shaft. Her father grabbed her before she went down, but she doesn’t seem to care, even at this age, that she could have been killed. When I asked her what she thought of finding another industry to take the place of coal. There was a silence and then she slowly shook her head. She said “coal will always be mined in Kentucky. That’s the way it has always been – they have to mine it.” They don’t have to mine it, but I’m sure the practice will continue.

What's more important...

After talking with a retired coal miner from Hazard, I realized that depending on the generation, the people in the community do not always feel the power to stop these practices that are destroying the mountains. There are good things that come out of mountaintop removal. The flattened mountains leaves room for stores likes Wal-mart, hotels and restaurants. These new venues help urbanize the area and bring opportunities for jobs. This explanation was followed by the remark that the coal companies were going to do what they were going to so what was the point in wasting your time. The powerlessness that the community members feel is palatable. The voice of his son still rings in my ears as he talks to me about how the problem that the government needs to worry about isn’t the mountaintop removal, but the pill drug trade that is taking over the region. My thought is that this is just a symptom of the coal industry job cuts due to MTR. I think of it as similar to the time during prohibition when they had stills in the hills. So, what is more important – fighting MTR or fighting the drug lords? If we stop MTR and find an industry that can be successful in the region, will that limit the need for the drug trade? It’s all about power. As they sell the drugs they are putting the power to feed their families in their own hands. If they wait for the coal mines to re-open or create jobs, the power to feed their families is now in the hands of the coal companies.

Nuclear Power overtaking Coal in Kentucky...

Click on the title of this entry to check out an article from the Hazard Herald. This is an interesting article about the possibility of Nuclear Power plants being built in the Commonwealth. This is very interesting because not only can this bring jobs to Kentucky, but it can eliminate the need for mountaintop removal. It takes the power from the coal companies and puts it back in the hands of the people.

Landmarks...

On hazardkentucky.com there is a section on the Mother Goose House. It says “The Mother Goose building in Hazard is a monument that should remind us of George Stacy's imagination and creative genius. Stacy started working on the house in 1935. It was completed in 1940. The Goose continues to attract attention around the world. It's been featured in the New York Times & on the Oprah Winfrey Show.“ The house has been a landmark in the area and stands proud to welcome you into Hazard. But if the destruction from mountaintop removal continues, places like this landmark could be permanently damaged or destroyed. Using images like this wonderful part of history to show the importance of the heritage of the land and how the mining practices are killing the images that make this place home, is just one of the rhetorical arguments used by groups against Mountaintop Removal.