I know there is a right way and a wrong way to mine coal, and mountaintop removal is the most destructive practice they can do, said scarboro, now a. With mountaintop removal youre able to mine seams that you could not mine with underground mining because they are so thinbut its a very highquality coal, said. In west virginia, mountaintop removal and other kinds of surface mining including. Films picked up the last ountain, making it the first mountaintop removal. Ending mountaintop removal center for biological diversity. One study finds that dust from mountaintop removal coalmining operations promotes the growth of lung cancer. Toyin abrahams husband climbs mountaintop to pray against. Massey energy is not the only mountaintop removal mining. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Jun 01, 2011 i briefly wrote about a new documentary, the last mountain, which covers the insane mountaintop removal coal mining industry in january, and included a trailer of the film.
Category archive for mountaintop removal coal tattoo. Mountaintop removal has annihilated more than 500 mountaintops and 2,000 miles of streams and the center is working to stop mountaintop removal before it annihilates any more. The last mountain great documentary on mountaintop. Beverly may and terry ratliff grew up on opposite sides of a. Methods of mountaintop removal coal miningread more. Surface production decreased about 21%, and mountaintop removal, one type of surface production, decreased 62% over this period. Mountaintop removal takes place primarily in eastern kentucky, southern west virginia, southwestern virginia, and eastern tennessee. The coal is needed to fuel power plants that make electricity. They are joined by ramps, based in west virginia, and rising tide north america, an international network of grassroots groups focused on stopping climate change. Through outreach, education, and activism, were spreading the word. Its long been known that mountaintop removal mining, which involves blasting the tops off of mountains to get to coal underneath the surface, is a highly destructive process. Aug 19, 2011 the myth of mountaintop removal mining beth wellington. Coal seams are extracted from a mountain by removing the land, or overburden, above the seams.
Mountaintop removal is any method of surface coal mining that removes a mountaintop or ridgeline. The film centers on grassroots efforts in west virginia to oppose. Mountaintop removal is still destroying appalachian mountains and streams. Mountaintop removal, smokestack pollution, and global warming arent inevitable. It is a form of extracting coal that uses heavy explosives to remove hundreds of vertical feet of a mountain to access thin seams of coal underneath. Michael cusack oconnells documentary with the selfexplanatory title mountaintop removal 2007 is a slickly produced affair on an important topic that admirably covers the issue of this.
Activist to discuss environmental impact of coal mining. I know there is a right way and a wrong way to mine coal, and mountaintop removal is the most destructive practice they can do. This discussion guide is designed to help your students or participants get the most out of the film. Contact us fellowships partner with us submission guidelines. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival. The film explores how mountaintop removal mining in west virginia has. Every day the detonation of four million pounds of explosives echoes through the. Aidan was inspired by his personal connection to vermonts green mountains. Videos resources end mountaintop removal coal mining. Ive seen how coal companies routinely shatter appalachian mountains, poison water supplies and dirty the air. Aidan powell created this is home when he was 15, on the conversations from the open road trip to appalachia. The ethics of mountaintop removal essay example topics. In the valleys of appalachia, a battle is being fought over a mountain.
The activists hanging the banner are with mountain justice, a regional group committed to an end of mountaintop removal and a just economic transition for appalachia. The film won the reel current award presented by al gore at the 2008 nashville film festival. The film also includes commentary from jeff goodell. In the long, complex history of coal exploitation in appalachia, mountaintopremoval mtr mining is the most destructive practice yet visited upon the land and its people. For a more typical picture of reclamation, you might want to check out the pbs film razing appalachia. Action opportunities follow mountain hero, junior walks efforts. Scientists have now quantified mountaintop removal minings. Tell me about where your interest started in mountaintop removal mining and following whats happening in coal. Pnc bank will cease investments in mountaintop removal coal mining. Ancient forested mountainsides are blown up to extract. Mountaintop removal is a radical form of strip mining used in the appalachian mountain communities that is just as it sounds the top of mountains are removed in order to get at the thin horizontal seams of coal that lie beneath.
Hundreds of thousands of acres have been destroyed for mountaintop removal. Mountaintop removal shames our name darling my dear i tell you what is right the moon on the lake and swimming by its light darling my dear i tell you what is wrong i went to the mountain but the mountain top was gone and i cant stand it whats the use in making something new if all that made us must be ruined i cant demand shit i got nothing. Mountaintop coal mining causes appalachian rivers to. It is a battle with severe consequences that affect every american, regardless of. The virtues of coal are ingrained in the states mythology, the film. A story of families waging a grassroots fight to stop mountaintop removal near blair, wv. To acquire high resolution video, submit a multimedia request with our webform. The small west virginia town of twilight, in boone county, is now in the crosshairs of mountaintop removal. Mountaintop removal mining mtr, also known as mountaintop mining mtm, is a form of surface mining that involves the topographical alteration andor removal of a summit, hill, or ridge to access buried coal seams the mtr process involves the removal of coal seams by first fully removing the overburden lying atop them, exposing the seams from above. Mountaintop removal mining has flattened a region the size of delaware and has buried or destroyed more than 2,000 miles of streams that were used for drinking water, according to the website. Mountaintop removal can shorten a mountain by hundreds of feet. Dec 07, 2016 feds ban mountaintop mining in tennessee.
How mountaintop mining affects life and landscape in west. The film maker took to social media to share a photo of himself praying on a mountaintop ajeyemi asked god for mercy and forgiveness as he prayed against the coronavirus pandemic the coronavirus pandemic has transformed from what was the subject of jokes to becoming a very serious issue that has left millions of people all over the world in. The most divisive and controversial environmental issue facing central appalachia today is mountaintop removal surface coal mining. Jun 20, 2011 the last mountain, a film about mountaintop removal which prominently features 2011 festival special guest maria gunnoe, opened this month in washington d. Filmed over a twoyear period, mountain top removal features community advocates, such as ed wiley, larry gibson, julia bonds, maria gunnoe, and mountain justice summer volunteers, in their efforts to oppose the destruction of southern appalachia s natural landscape. The part of your show that sticks in my mind is the 1984 film clip of the. At least that was the case until april 5, 2010 when the upper big branch mining. Mountaintop removal coal mining mountaintop removal coal mining is the mining of coal on steep terrains or mountain tops. Razing appalachia american conservation film festival acff. This will always be the question of films that double as activism. Mountaintop removal is a 2007 documentary film directed by michael oconnell.
One of the film s main characters, betty harrah, has been a tenacious procoal supporter since she was born. In the past few decades, over 2,000 miles of streams and headwaters that provide drinking water for millions of americans have been permanently buried and destroyed. The last mountain, a film about mountaintop removal which prominently features 2011 festival special guest maria gunnoe, opened this month in washington d. Methods of mountaintop removal coal mining include. Last week, kennedy and haney both of whom will be in nashville for the film s opening talked with the scene about the story they found in. Community impacts of mountaintop removal appalachian voices. Their efforts paid off dada films picked up the last ountain, making it the first mountaintop removal documentary to enjoy a nationwide theatrical release. Thus, it was especially poignant to witness the practice of mountaintop removal currently devastating the appalachian mountains. Massey energy, which was recently acquired by alpha natural resources, has been the posterchild for mountaintop removal for years. Rising up against mountaintop removal mining shirley stewart burns, marilynn evans, silas house on.
Mountain top removal is an eyeopening film about coal. Join us in demanding that the obama administration take strong actions to put an end to this devastating practice once and for all. The film explores how mountaintop removal mining in west virginia has affected local communities. The protesters came from far and wide to participate in the journey, hailing not only from west virginia, but also kentucky, utah, north carolina, tennessee, australia and japan. During the last two decades, mountaintop removal mining in. Coal production from mines with mountaintop removal mtr permits has declined since 2008, more than the downward trend in total u. Before submitting a request to completely remove a film, series or any other title from imdb, please read the below information. Mountain top removal is the epitomy of how devoid of real and realistic plans for the countys energy needs this administration is, and how few are those who have the vision and are in a position. Mountain top removal, a fundraising presentation by and for the nonprofit louisville film society, examines the costs and consequences of mountaintop removal mining on the people, mountains and culture of southern appalachia.
Feds ban mountaintop mining in tennessee usa today. Mountaintop removal countrys mental health crisis grist. Jul 08, 2011 the last mountain great documentary on mountaintop removal coal mining screening in theaters this summer posted on july 8, 2011 by rick piltz the mining and burning of coal is at the epicenter of americas struggle to balance its energy needs with the threat of climate disruption and other social and environmental concerns. The last mountain is a 95minute film that examines the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining in west virginiaparticularly on coal river mountainand provides a catalyst for discussion and exploration around this and other related topics. Examples of mountaintop removal in a sentence, how to use it. Mountaintop removal is just another one of those ideas you should categorize as better if it was never thought of. Filmed over a twoyear period, mountain top removal features citizen activists, such as ed wiley, larry gibson, julia bonds, maria gunnoe, and mountain justice summer volunteers, in their efforts. How the coal industry flattened the mountains of appalachia. For mountaintop removal areas, that number is closer to 17 out of 100. The fiveday march was an effort to preserve blair mountain as a historical site and to prevent coal companies from using it for mountaintop removal mining. Mountaintop removal coal mining, often described as strip mining on steroids, is an extremely destructive form of mining that is devastating appalachia. The last mountain featuring mountaintop removal activist.
The horrors of mountaintop removal mining are fresh in my mind. Oconnell reveals how stripmining in west virginia is impacting local communities in the heart of coalmining country. Jul 14, 2017 mountaintopremoval coal mining causes many streams and rivers in appalachia to run consistently saltier for up to 80 percent of the year, a new study by researchers at the university of wyoming and duke university finds. Aug 06, 20 over five hundred mountains in west virginia have been destroyed because of new mining techniques used by coal companies in the appalachians.
View satellite imagery of mining encroachment and learn about the top 50 communities at risk from mountaintop removal mining in appalachia with our communities at risk mapping tool. Mountaintop removal 2007 parents guide add to guide. Mountaintop removal also received a jury award at the 2008 wild and scenic film festival, audience award at the 2008 woods hole film festival and was screened at the lincoln center on earth day april 22, 2008. The myth of mountaintop removal mining beth wellington. The ethics of mountaintop removal essay example topics and. Every day the detonation of four million pounds of explosives. Mountaintop removal coal mining condemned in new film. How mountaintop mining affects life and landscape in west virginia. Appalachian voices commissioned a study in 2009 that showed nearly 1. The documentarty, and gunnoe, were recently profiled on. Obtaining coal by mountaintop removal mtr obliterates appalachian mountains and streams in several, methodical steps. 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. Mountaintop removal coal mining ends on march 16 ecowatch. Aidan was inspired by the words and photography of paul corbit brown and.
In august 2002, now reported on the effects of mountaintop removal coal mining in west virginia, and the controversy surrounding this method. Today he works with coal river mountain watch, keeper of the mountains foundation, and ramps to end mountaintop removal mining, and travels the country with the keeper of the mountains foundation educating people about the longterm environmental, health and community degradation caused by coal mining. It is a strip mining method where coal deposits are extracted from below the surface of mountain tops and steep slopes of mountains or valleys perks 1. Fourteen months after the world watched in astonishment as poorly regulated coalwashing chemicals contaminated the elk river in west virginia, coal country residents and supporters are gearing up for an epic showdown on march 16 with the states. Can new legislation finally stop this devastating practice. Determined to bring the film s message to every corner of the country, director bill haney and the film crew worked to secure theatrical distribution.
Click the events link on the left side of this page, then come join us at the wv dep to send a loud and firm message to the secretary of the wv dep. Communities near mountaintop removal sites are losing population as people move away in order to protect the health and safety of their families. Feb 16, 2016 how the coal industry flattened the mountains of appalachia. Weeklong demonstration against mountaintop removal mining. Mediastorm is an awardwinning film production and interactive design studio. For mountaintop removal areas, that number is closer to. Marsh fork elementaryand the rest of appalachiaare still being threatened by mountaintop removal coal mining. Walk on the mountain american conservation film festival. While the west virginia coal association president bill raney repeatedly states the practice ensures the security of thousands of good jobs, the film claims the industry has laid off 40,000 people in the last 30 years partly because of increased efficiency from practices like mountaintop removal. Mountaintop removal is any method of surface coal mining that destroys a mountaintop or ridgeline, whether or not the mined area will be returned to what is legally described as the approximate original contour. Feb 11, 2016 its long been known that mountaintop removal mining, which involves blasting the tops off of mountains to get to coal underneath the surface, is a highly destructive process. Feb 17, 2016 mountaintop removal countrys mental health crisis. It is estimated that by the end of 2012, a staggering 2,200 square miles of the appalachian mountains will have been destroyed thanks to mountaintop removal mining.
But mining disastersthe hot ones like explosions and caveins, and the slowburning. The horrors of mountaintopremoval mining are fresh in my mind. Scientists have now quantified mountaintop removal mining. Mountaintop removal mining mtr, also known as mountaintop mining mtm, is a form of surface mining at the summit or summit ridge of a mountain. Many neighborhoods and communities in west virginia have been obliterated by mountaintop removal mining. If the title is a duplicate of another title listing on imdb, please do not submit a deletion request. Looking cheap electricity in the face antrim caskeys photos of the people affected by mountaintop removal mining.
Filmed over a twoyear period, mountain top removal features citizen activists, such as ed wiley, larry gibson, julia bonds, maria gunnoe, and mountain justice summer volunteers, in their efforts to stop the destruction of southern appalachias natural landscape. While the demolition of the ancient mountain tops alters the. Apr 04, 2011 narrated by susan sarandon, this video shows firsthand footage of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impacts on appalachian mountains, drinking water and families. Well the film just premiered in new york city and the natural resource defense councils eric goldstein made it to the premiere and has shared his experience of it. Jun 28, 2011 mountainfilm 2011 special guest maria gunnoe sent us the latest psa from mountaintop removal stops here, filmed while she was in telluride.
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