The People Of Appalachia
| June 10, 2009 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Appalachia is where 50% of the coal in the US comes from. While the coal industry is making big bucks McDowell County, West Virginia has a poverty rate of 37.7%, yet has produced more coal than any other county in the US. Something is very wrong with this picture.
In December 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority’s ash storage pond spilled on to over 400 acres and polluted the water. The toxic waste was 10 times bigger than the Exxon Valdez spill.
The coal ash that spilled over the area of Kingston, TN was likely contained high concentrations of mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals. And this isn’t the only spill. But we really never hear about them on mainstream media. The coal companies want us to believe this is rare and much smaller than it really is. Spills like this show why coal can never be clean.
Mountaintop removal is not only damaging to nature but to the homes around these mountains. The mines are allowed to be as close as 300 feet to homes. The regular blasts are 10 to 100 times stronger than the OKC bombing. They can damage homes and even throw huge rocks at the communities below.
The areas around coal mines also have to deal with large amounts of mercury. Mercury is a known neurotoxin that can cause permanent damage, especially in children. Asthma rates in the area are also unusually high.
And don’t forget the miners that risk there lives everyday to go in those mines to get the coal. They breath in the toxic air which causes black lung in 13% of miners that work in the mine 25 years or more.
Another very real risk is the mine collapsing. This can happen when the methane gas is not vented well enough and something sparks causing an explosion such as in the Sago Mine disaster in January 2006.
Mines also can collapse from “retreat mining.” This is what caused the Utah mine disaster in August 2007.
Sadly coal mining isn’t the only thing plaguing the people of Appalachia. The property rates are high, drug rates are high, and few are free of illness. ABC News did a story about Appalachia called “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountain.” It’s a heart breaking story.
But two people traveling across America to show us stories of the people in this great country found hope in Appalachia.
Tobacco farming is another common practice in Appalachia but with prices and demand falling tobacco farmers are looking for new ways to keep there farm running. Thankfully the “Appalachian Sustainable Development” is helping farmers switch to growing organic produce!
You can watch a video of this amazing story on The Hardest Year. Very little hope has been felt in the area since Robert F Kennedy showed us this hidden place but once again Appalachia is finding it’s way in to our hearts.
Another great video to watch to learn more about Appalachia and coal mining is “30 Days: Working in a Coal Mine.” You watch Morgan Spurlock of “Super Size Me” work as a coal miner for 30 days.
Remember the people of Appalachia when you are using power. They are risking their lives for it. It’s about time we work to find now ways for the people of Appalachia to find work with out such big risks on their lives and the environment.
Picture credit: Flickr.com
