Razing appalachia american conservation film festival acff. There are a lot of videos on the web about mountaintop removal coal mining. 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. Mountaintop removal is a form of surface coal mining in which the top of a mountain is blasted away so workers can reach coal seams. How mountaintop mining affects life and landscape in west. The film explores how mountaintop removal mining in west virginia has. Mountaintop removal is just another one of those ideas you should categorize as better if it was never thought of. Mountain top removal is an eyeopening film about coal. Activist to discuss environmental impact of coal mining. Looking cheap electricity in the face antrim caskeys photos of the people affected by 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. Walk on the mountain american conservation film festival. Before submitting a request to completely remove a film, series or any other title from imdb, please read the below information. Oconnell reveals how stripmining in west virginia is impacting local communities in the heart of coalmining country. The film also includes commentary from jeff goodell. Feb 17, 2016 mountaintop removal countrys mental health crisis.
Surface production decreased about 21%, and mountaintop removal, one type of surface production, decreased 62% over this period. The last mountain featuring mountaintop removal activist. Examples of mountaintop removal in a sentence, how to use it. 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. This discussion guide is designed to help your students or participants get the most out of the film. The virtues of coal are ingrained in the states mythology, the film. 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 last mountain, a film about mountaintop removal which prominently features 2011 festival special guest maria gunnoe, opened this month in washington d. Category archive for mountaintop removal coal tattoo. Mountaintop removal coal mining, often described as strip mining on steroids, is an extremely destructive form of mining that is devastating appalachia.
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. How mountaintop mining affects life and landscape in west virginia. 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. But mining disastersthe hot ones like explosions and caveins, and the slowburning. Mountaintop coal mining causes appalachian rivers to.
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. Dec 07, 2016 feds ban mountaintop mining in tennessee. Mountaintop removal 2007 parents guide add to guide. Films picked up the last ountain, making it the first mountaintop removal. The most divisive and controversial environmental issue facing central appalachia today is mountaintop removal surface coal mining. 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 mining is a big industry in appalachia, bringing jobs, but also a steep environmental cost. 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.
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. How the coal industry flattened the mountains of appalachia. Their efforts paid off dada films picked up the last ountain, making it the first mountaintop removal documentary to enjoy a nationwide theatrical release. 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. The film explores how mountaintop removal mining in west virginia has affected local communities. For a more typical picture of reclamation, you might want to check out the pbs film razing appalachia. Mediastorm is an awardwinning film production and interactive design studio. 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 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. Ending mountaintop removal center for biological diversity. 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. A story of families waging a grassroots fight to stop mountaintop removal near blair, wv.
Action opportunities follow mountain hero, junior walks efforts. Aidan powell created this is home when he was 15, on the conversations from the open road trip to appalachia. Obtaining coal by mountaintop removal mtr obliterates appalachian mountains and streams in several, methodical steps. Mountaintop removal, smokestack pollution, and global warming arent inevitable. Mountaintop removal is still destroying appalachian mountains and streams. Scientists have now quantified mountaintop removal minings. Can new legislation finally stop this devastating practice. Aidan was inspired by his personal connection to vermonts green mountains. Hundreds of thousands of acres have been destroyed for mountaintop removal. Methods of mountaintop removal coal miningread more. Through outreach, education, and activism, were spreading the word. 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. During the last two decades, mountaintop removal mining in. 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.
Videos resources end mountaintop removal coal mining. Aug 19, 2011 the myth of mountaintop removal mining beth wellington. Beverly may and terry ratliff grew up on opposite sides of a. 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. The last mountain great documentary on mountaintop. Mountaintop removal takes place primarily in eastern kentucky, southern west virginia, southwestern virginia, and eastern tennessee. 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. 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. Feds ban mountaintop mining in tennessee usa today. Marsh fork elementaryand the rest of appalachiaare still being threatened by mountaintop removal coal mining. Appalachian voices commissioned a study in 2009 that showed nearly 1.
The part of your show that sticks in my mind is the 1984 film clip of the. Thus, it was especially poignant to witness the practice of mountaintop removal currently devastating the appalachian mountains. Contact us fellowships partner with us submission guidelines. 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. 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.
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 small west virginia town of twilight, in boone county, is now in the crosshairs of mountaintop removal. 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. Coal seams are extracted from a mountain by removing the land, or overburden, above the seams. Pnc bank will cease investments in mountaintop removal coal mining. 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. 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.
Community impacts of mountaintop removal appalachian voices. The coal is needed to fuel power plants that make electricity. It is a battle with severe consequences that affect every american, regardless of. The ethics of mountaintop removal essay example topics. In west virginia, mountaintop removal and other kinds of surface mining including. While the demolition of the ancient mountain tops alters the. 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. For mountaintop removal areas, that number is closer to. One of the film s main characters, betty harrah, has been a tenacious procoal supporter since she was born. Mountaintop removal coal mining condemned in new film.
The film centers on grassroots efforts in west virginia to oppose. Massey energy is not the only mountaintop removal 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. Methods of mountaintop removal coal mining include. 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.
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. Every day the detonation of four million pounds of explosives echoes through the. At least that was the case until april 5, 2010 when the upper big branch mining. The horrors of mountaintop removal mining are fresh in my mind. One study finds that dust from mountaintop removal coalmining operations promotes the growth of lung cancer. Toyin abrahams husband climbs mountaintop to pray against. The ethics of mountaintop removal essay example topics and. Massey energy, which was recently acquired by alpha natural resources, has been the posterchild for mountaintop removal for years. Many neighborhoods and communities in west virginia have been obliterated by mountaintop removal mining. 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.
The film won the reel current award presented by al gore at the 2008 nashville film festival. Tell me about where your interest started in mountaintop removal mining and following whats happening in coal. 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. In august 2002, now reported on the effects of mountaintop removal coal mining in west virginia, and the controversy surrounding this method. For mountaintop removal areas, that number is closer to 17 out of 100. The horrors of mountaintopremoval mining are fresh in my mind. Ive seen how coal companies routinely shatter appalachian mountains, poison water supplies and dirty the air. Ancient forested mountainsides are blown up to extract. If the title is a duplicate of another title listing on imdb, please do not submit a deletion request. The documentarty, and gunnoe, were recently profiled on. This will always be the question of films that double as activism. 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. Communities near mountaintop removal sites are losing population as people move away in order to protect the health and safety of their families. 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.
Coal production from mines with mountaintop removal mtr permits has declined since 2008, more than the downward trend in total u. Mountaintop removal coal mining mountaintop removal coal mining is the mining of coal on steep terrains or mountain tops. 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. Mountaintop removal coal mining ends on march 16 jeff biggers. Mountaintop removal is any method of surface coal mining that removes a mountaintop or ridgeline.
Rising up against mountaintop removal mining shirley stewart burns, marilynn evans, silas house on. 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. 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. 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.
In the valleys of appalachia, a battle is being fought over a mountain. Massey conducts more mountaintop mining operations than any other company, is a uniquely effusive political operator, and runs all the mining in the coal river valley, where much of the film is set. To acquire high resolution video, submit a multimedia request with our webform. Mountaintop removal coal mining ends on march 16 ecowatch. 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 is a 2007 documentary film directed by michael oconnell. 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. 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. 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.
Join us in demanding that the obama administration take strong actions to put an end to this devastating practice once and for all. 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. 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. Scientists have now quantified mountaintop removal mining. Every day the detonation of four million pounds of explosives. 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. Weeklong demonstration against mountaintop removal mining. 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. 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. Mountaintop removal in central appalachia southern spaces. The myth of mountaintop removal mining beth wellington.
Mountaintop removal can shorten a mountain by hundreds of feet. Aidan was inspired by the words and photography of paul corbit brown and. Feb 16, 2016 how the coal industry flattened the mountains of appalachia. 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. Mountaintop removal countrys mental health crisis grist. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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.