Coal Country: Documentary Film Highlights
Environmental Damage Wrought by Mountaintop Removal
by Kim Thomas
A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him…The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him. - Thomas Merton
(to see photos and article in print, pick up an Ace Weekly, or visit www.aceweekly.com )
Author Silas House is well known for his honest portrayal of life in Appalachia, and he is just as straightforward when it comes to talking about whether or there is such a thing as clean coal. "There's a bumper sticker out right now that really sums it up: 'Clean Coal is Like Dry Water.' There's just no such thing. Sure, it might be a teeny-tiny percent less polluting, but it's still polluting. And besides, when people hear the term "clean coal" they sometimes forget that the "clean" is only referring to the pollutants it puts out. But so-called clean coal is still mined in a harmful, destructive way when it is mined via MTR."
An outspoken activist against mountaintop coal removal, or MTR, which essentially decapitates mountains and chokes streams and valleys, Kentucky's best-selling author and playwright, Silas House will be a featured guest at next week's premiere of the movie "Coal Country." House (who just released his latest work, Eli the Good, a look at the complexities of childhood and the reality of war) will join legendary musicians Kathy Mattea and Jean Ritchie for the event on October 7th for a pre-show discussion when Coal Country opens at the Kentucky Theatre (7:30 pm).
When asked what he believes the role of coal has been in Kentucky's past, current, and future economy, House states, "I think it's real interesting that when tobacco farmers started to make the transition away from growing tobacco, the government stepped in to help them transition to other crops. Yet to my knowledge the government has no plans to help small coal companies transition to other forms of work once coal peters out (as it most certainly will, very soon, based on all the statistics I've seen). It's always the small companies and the local workers who suffer in a coal economy. That's one thing that's hard to make clear in the fight against MTR: most of the people fighting MTR are in it not only for trees and mountains, but because the statistics clearly show that the industry is taking jobs out of the region. So these big corporations come in and reap all the benefits and the small local companies suffer for it."
House believes there a number of ways to use "clean energy" alternatives to develop Kentucky jobs and revenue. "We have all kinds of clean energy options here in Kentucky if we would just start to even have a dialogue about them. There are a committed bunch of folks in Harlan County who are really working hard to start a wind farm, for instance, but a lot of people just roll their eyes when I say this. I don't know why people think harnessing the wind is ridiculous, yet they think cutting the tops off ancient mountains are not."
There is a need to reconcile a love for the land and for the Eastern Kentucky people who say they need coal jobs to make a living, though. "I think that the coal industry has done a great job of creating a monoeconomy. We ARE dependent on coal for our economy, so that's why it's so obvious that we have to start thinking of alternative forms of energy for Kentucky, because coal is definitely going to be gone before too much longer. They're mining it faster than they ever have before and it won't even last as long as first predicted."
"I think MTR makes people feel beaten down, and inferior. Because when something as disrespectful as MTR is allowed to take place, it makes us, the citizens, feel as if corporations are more important than individuals. So we have to speak out and say we're tired of it. We have a responsibility to our children, to the future, to do that," House adds.
Where does House see the role of coal in Kentucky a decade from now? "In the best case scenario coal will be mined lawfully and respectfully, in the least harmful way to the environment and the people of Kentucky. In the worst case scenario, whole huge parts of our beautiful state will be laid to waste by this destructive and irresponsible form of mining. It doesn't have to be this way. Coal has been mined for more than a century in a way that didn't absolutely destroy the land, so it can go back to that."
Kathy Mattea also is passionate when she speaks of how mountaintop removal impacts those who live in the wake of the devastation and so-called reclamation caused by MTR. "I saw some reclamation that looked good… I saw some reclamation that they said was good, but I didn’t agree with. I said, 'well... that looks like a golf course, but that’s the ugliest golf course I’ve ever seen.' "
Singer songwriter Mattea believes it is a a question of the biodiversity that’s being lost. "A bunch of trees do not a forest make...not these kinds of forests. If you are person who lives next to one of these mines... if you have a mine within a half a mile of your house… this thing’s gonna be mined for decades. If these are the decades that are the prime of your life, it doesn’t matter if they reclaim, your life has turned into hell. If it’s the prime of your life, and the entire contour of the land, the makeup of the forest, and life as you know it gets completely altered, what you’ve lost is not quantifiable, but profound."
"You know, I met a coal mining operator that bends over backwards to try to stay within the environmental parameters that have been laid out, and, in fact, his employees were proud, really proud of their work, because they said, 'we’ll go further than we’ll have to.' I can really see their frustration for not being seen for what they are trying to do. By the same token, all of that discussion takes place with the premise that mountain top removal is okay to begin with, and that’s the discussion we need to have. It’s really hard."
COAL COUNTRY, THE MOVIE
COAL COUNTRY, a film by Mari-Lyn Evans and Phylis Geller, is a dramatic look at modern coal mining that offers an opportunity to get to know working miners, along with activists who are battling coal companies in Appalachia. The movie gives voice to miners and coal company officials, who are concerned about jobs and the economy and believe they are acting responsibly in bringing power to the American people. Both sides in this conflict claim that history is on their side. Families have lived in the region for generations, and most have ancestors who worked in the mines. Everyone shares a deep love for the land, but MTR (Mountain Top Removal mining which has leveled over 500 Appalachian mountains) is tearing them apart. The questions this movie addresses are difficult, and attempt to help audiences understand the meaning behind promises of “cheap energy” and “clean coal.” Are they achievable? At what cost? Are there alternatives to our energy future?
Mari-Lyn Evans
Co-producer Mari-Lyn Evans thinks finding a solution to coal, "the dirtiest of all fossil fuels" is urgent. "Many scientists do not believe that there is such a thing as 'clean coal' as it has been portrayed in the many commercials paid for by the coal industry. The one concern that I hear most is that even if you can capture and sequester it, you still have MTR mining."
Evans emphasizes that "wind and solar energy are alternatives being explored by groups like The Sierra Club and scientists. There are also groups like Kentucky for the Commonwealth, which are piloting projects."
Coal companies using mountaintop removal as a method for easy access to coal have removed enough topsoil to cover an area the size of the state of Delaware and while doing so, more than 800 streams and creeks which HAD provided water for thousands of communities have been filled and the flow of water stopped. The effort to increase awareness of the problem has been taken up by national organizations, such as The Sierra Club, and here locally, by ELandF Gallery with its webcast last Tuesday of Tom Phillips, a Lexington native and actor who is now in L.A., reading a 'found' essay titled "We Are Mountains." Phillips' reading to the public webcam at the symbolic end of the power grid, Venice Beach, was well received by members of the MTR resistance movement across the country who logged in to hear the message.
All of the participating organizations, including The Sierra Club and Earth Justice, are collaborating for an ambitious series of previews and screenings of the documentary across the country, often in conjunction with musical performances. Highlights include a major event on October 20th, at New York’s Town Hall featuring Diana Jones, the Klezmatics, Kathy Mattea and Jean Ritchie, as well as similar events including San Francisco on September 30th and the series culmination in Los Angeles on November 12th at the Grammy Museum.
Coal Country: The Kentucky Premiere
Featuring special in-person guests: Musicians Kathy Mattea, Jean Ritchie, and author Silas House.
Sculpture and work of Jeff Chapman Crane will be featured during the event; and
Martin Douthitt will appear as well. Douthitt is a famed mountain climber who has scaled 6 peaks and preparing for his last major climb – Everest.
For tickets visit: http://kentucky.sierraclub.org/coalcountry/
This film by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller is a dramatic look at modern coal mining. We get to know working miners along with activists who are battling coal companies in Appalachia. Both sides in this conflict claim that history is on their side.
Everyone shares a deep love for the land, but mountaintop removal mining is tearing them apart. We need to understand the meaning behind promises of “cheap energy” and “clean coal
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 @ 7:30pm
Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St.. Lexington, KY
$25: Theatre admission (7:30), featuring LIVE pre-film
performances by our special guests, and post-film discussion panel moderated by Lane Boldman, national Sierra Club Board of Directors.
National TV Broadcast, Companion CD, DVD, and Companion Book Out This Fall
Most Americans are shocked to learn that nearly half of the electricity used in the United States today is produced by coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel.
The compelling documentary Coal Country reveals the truth about modern coal mining. The story is told by the people directly involved, both working miners and activists who are battling the coal companies in Appalachia. It’s a “new civil war,” as families and communities are deeply split over the issue of mountaintop removal mining (MTR). The tops of mountains are blasted away, exposing seams of coal, while debris is pushed into valleys and streams. Residents endure health problems, dirty water in their wells, dust and grime on their floors. The miners are frightened that, without MTR, they’ll lose their jobs and won’t be able to feed their families.
With the film as its centerpiece, Coal Country is a multi-faceted media initiative, with key highlights including: The film's national premiere on The Discovery Networks’ Planet Green channel; the release of a companion CD featuring a stellar cast of artists; a companion book released in partnership with The Sierra Club; a DVD release; a series of events taking place around the US this fall ranging from grassroots house parties to star-studded concerts.
The Issue: Mountaintop Removal mining is a type of surface coal mining requiring the complete defoliation of mountaintops in conjunction with aggressive blasting, permanently altering the landscape and natural environment. The waste products associated with this type of mining and subsequent coal refinement have affected the health of local communities for decades.
The Film: Written produced and directed by Phylis Geller, with Executive Producer Mari-Lynn Evans, ‘Coal Country’ delves into small towns in rural West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio and spotlights the larger than life members of these communities who have brought the issues and dangers of mountaintop removal to the national consciousness. The film also profiles a mining executive who truly believes he is being responsible and following the law. 'Coal Country' just concluded a sneak preview theatrical release in New York and LA, and will be shown during special screenings and events taking place across the country this fall.
The Broadcast: Making its national television debut, Discovery Networks’ Planet Green channel will begin airing Coal Country on November 14th, with a premiere at 8:00pm EST. Coal Country will be part of Planet Green’s new Saturday Night Series of independent features called REEL IMPACT. Planet Green will re-air Coal Country on November 19th at 8pm PST.
The CD and DVD: Out November 10th, the companion CD ‘Coal Country Music’ features an array of artists whose songs tell of the struggle for survival in coal country. Each artist donated their music, with net proceeds from the album to be used to stop Mountaintop Removal. Also on November 10th, the ‘Coal Country’ documentary will be available to own on DVD at major retailers and online destinations.
The Book: To be released by Sierra Club Books in November, the companion volume ‘Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal’ provides additional insight into the voices and issues put forth by the film via a series of essays, photos, and personal histories. The book features notes from the film’s personalities as well as writing from Wendell Berry, Silas House, and Denise Giardina and entertainers Ashley Judd, Loretta Lynn, and Kathy Mattea.
Information and Resources: For more information on the film as well as issues and event updates: http://www.coalcountrythemovie.com/
More information on supporting organizations can be found here:
Planet Green’s REEL IMPACT: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/reel-impact.html
The Sierra Club: http://www.sierraclub.org/
Earth Justice: http://www.earthjustice.org/
The Alliance for Appalachia: http://www.theallianceforappalachia.org/
To Preorder and Purchase Products: http://www.liaisondistribution.com/
Kim Thomas is a legal secretary, a member of the Chancel Choir,
and the daughter of a coal miner's daughter.
No comments:
Post a Comment