Something's Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal (33 page)

6
. An old traditional song about the Rapture, the biblical end of time. The first verse goes: “Oh my loving mother, when the world's on fire/Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow/Hide thee over in the rock of ages/Rock of ages, cleft for me.”

7
. Although Weller's 1965 book has proven popular (it became a best seller upon its initial publication), it is largely seen in contemporary Appalachian literature circles as presenting the region in a stereotypical fashion from
the point of view of an outsider. Such an approach has lessened in popularity as Appalachian studies became more widespread and scholars native to the region published their own studies.

8
. Buffalo was once a small community in northern Clay County, Kentucky.

9
. “In this country”: a colloquial expression meaning the area close to her home.

10
. Kate Larken, a singer/songwriter/activist who wrote the song “Can't Put It Back,” in which is the line Keltner is referring to: “You see them strip away her essence.”

11
. “Sorry”: colloquialism meaning “lazy.”

12
. “Country,” meaning Appalachia.

13
.
Missing Mountains
is a collection of writing that includes essays, news articles, poems, and other forms of writing that was put together immediately following the 2005 Kentucky author's tour hosted by KFTC. The book was edited by Kristin Johannsen, Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, and Bobbie Ann Mason, and published in Nicholasville, Kentucky, by Wind Publications in 2005.

14
. Shelby is referring to the fact that the Kentucky Coal Association's Web site has used Bible verses to justify mountaintop removal mining for the last few years. One such verse is Isaiah 40:4: “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain.” This sentiment is repeated in Luke 3:5: “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough ways shall be made smooth.”

15
. Shelby is referring to I Love Mountains Day 2008, when about 1,200 people marched on the capitol to support the Stream Saver bill and to oppose mountaintop removal.

16
. This is a much-used mantra by coal industry officials, mine operators, and politicians who support the coal industry.

17
. Shelby lives about thirty-five miles from the site she is speaking of, and there are more mountaintop removal sites much closer to her home.

Larry Bush

1
. The Kentucky side of Black Mountain was saved largely thanks to the efforts of a fifth-grade class in Harlan County, led by their revered yet modest teacher, Judith Hensley. In 1998, Jericol Mining, Inc., petitioned for a mountaintop removal site on Black Mountain. Hensley's concerned class wrote letters and even converged on the Office of Mining in protest. Others across the Commonwealth rallied to their cause. The following year, the state caved to political pressure and purchased mineral and timber rights to the summit, thereby ending the threat to the Kentucky side of the mountain.

2
. According to the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy's final report on the Davidson case, “after the rock penetrated the rear wall of the residence and struck the child's bed, it struck the floor, went airborne again, traveled through two interior closet walls, and came to rest against a bed in which the Davidsons' eight-year-old son, Zachary, was asleep.” For details on the cause of the dislodgment, see Tim Thornton, “Southwest Virginia Family and A&G Coal Settle in Three-Year-Old's Death,”
Roanoke Times
, Sept. 8, 2006.

3
. Data on poverty taken from 2004 U.S. Census.

4
. The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy claims that “a petition for expenses and fees” was filed against Ramey. Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy, Accident Investigative Final Report, Surface Coal Mine Offsite Fatality of August 20, 2004, report filed December 17, 2004,
http://www.npr.org/documents/2005/feb/vamine_report.pdf
.

5
. The Alliance for Appalachia describes itself as “a collaboration of thirteen organizations in Central Appalachia working to bring an end to the devastating coal mining technique known as mountaintop removal…and seeks to promote a just and sustainable economy and a clean, renewable energy future in the region” (
www.ohvec.org/alliance_for_appalachia/index.html
). AFA members include the Coal River Mountain Watch, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Save Our Cumberland Mountains, the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the Appalachian Citizens Law Center, Appalachian Voices, Appalshop, Heartwood, the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, the Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program, and Southwings.

6
. David Fahrenthold, “Dominion's Coal-Fired Electric Plant to Advance,”
Washington Post
, June 26, 2008.

7
. Debra McCown, “Conservationist Says Coal Plant Emissions Could Damage Smokies,”
Bristol Herald Courier
, June 18, 2008.

8
. Todd J. Foster, “Power Plant Opponent's Family Threatened by Phone,”
Bristol Herald Courier
, April 6, 2008.

9
. President of the UMWA from 1920 to 1960, Lewis was known for his rallying speeches and his commitment to the welfare of coal miners.

10
. “Carbo” is a local reference to American Electric Power's Clinch River Power Plant, which is also located in Wise County, less than fifteen miles from the proposed site for Dominion's new power plant.

11
. Terry Kilgore served as an attorney for the Davidson family and currently is serving his eighth term as delegate of Virginia's first legislative district, which includes Scott, Lee, and a portion of Wise and Washington counties. He was recently appointed chairman of the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission
and is currently being investigated by the Virginia state bar for possible ethical misconduct. Kilgore is the twin brother of Jerry Kilgore, former attorney general of Virginia and present chairman of presidential candidate John McCain's Virginia campaign. Jerry also ran as governor of the state in 2004, losing to Tim Kaine.

12
. A&G Coal Corporation.

13
. Bush is referring to the Virginia General Assembly's toughening of state mine safety laws, which require plans to protect people living in areas that could be hit by mining debris.

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