By CJ Jent
Appalachian Activism
In 2011, Bill Haney released the documentary “The Last Mountain.” This documentary, however, does not take the usual route of interviews and retelling events in the past.
The film follows activists in West Virginia as they fight the start of mountain top removal mining on Coal River Mountain. We follow the subjects of the documentary through their normal events and actions working against the destruction of this particular mountain.
Coal River Mountain is Bloody
At the time, Coal River Mountain—also known as “the last mountain”—was the last intact mountain range in West Virginia as a result of mining operations in the state.
The documentary highlights the struggle of a small town fighting for a better future against a massive coal corporation that is even backed by the state government. It does not just do that, though. The documentary reinforces the health problems and risks associated with living near or working in towns with coal mining operations.
One of the more crushing moments of the film showcases how dangerous the Massey Energy workplaces are when nearly thirty miners were killed in an explosion from build of up methane gas due to negligent safety practices.
So What’s the Plan for the Mountain?
up methane gas due to negligent safety practices.
Residents near Coal River Mountain do not blinding oppose the mountain top removal site with these dangers and history alone, however. The community organizers also propose an alternative plan.
Many intact Appalachian mountains have extremely high wind category ratings. The winds are strong enough to generate mass amounts of power through wind turbines.
This proposal was packed with benefits for the local community. A commercial wind farm in this high category of winds could generate enough electricity to power nearly all homes in the county Coal River Mountain would power, Raleigh County.
Not only that, but while coal mining only creates temporary, dangerous jobs, the wind farm would create more jobs that would be much more sustainable for the local economy.
Weigh Our Options Carefully
Wind farms are also much cleaner than mining operations. While coal can pollute waterways with heavy metals and lead to much higher incidents of cancer, wind power is much safer not only for the workers at the farm, but the residents nearby.
Mountain top removal mining is extremely damaging to the environment. The soil may become poisoned leading to mass deforestation and plant death. This leads to an increase in erosion and, later, fuels flooding to be much more powerful. Animal life is also harmed, which may decrease animal populations that bring in tourism through hunting. The destruction of the mountains also meant that a wind farm could not be installed later with the efficiency as if the mountain top removal mining had never taken place.
While the investment of buying and installing wind turbines would have been much higher, the project would have paid for itself in lower energy costs within 15 years, which is a shorter time period than the mountain top removal project lasted. Either way, factoring in health costs and damage to the environment, the commercial wind farm would be far cheaper than the cost to perform mountain top removal mining on Coal River Mountain.
And Then There Were None
Despite direct protests from residents to Massey Energy, the coal company in charge of the project, and to the governor of West Virginia who approved and was backing the project, the coal company began blasting.
In the documentary, we see people from out of state organization step in and chain themselves to equipment or live in trees to stop the project. And for over a month, this works.
Call to Action
The story of the death of the last intact mountain range in West Virginia is a long battle against a government and corporation who put profits over people. The story ends with a message of joining as a community to fight against the exploitation of mountain people by coal corporations.
Despite the practicality of the project, quick profits are chosen.
Despite the danger of coal mining, it remains the only viable option in many places in Appalachia.