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From Pick And Shovel To Mountaintop Removal: Environmental Injustice In The Appalachian Coalfields, Patrick C. Mcginley
From Pick And Shovel To Mountaintop Removal: Environmental Injustice In The Appalachian Coalfields, Patrick C. Mcginley
Law Faculty Scholarship
In this Essay, Professor McGinley examines a century of conflicts between the coal mining industry and the people of the "billion dollar coalfield" communities of southern West Virginia whose labors provided fuel for the industrial revolution, two world wars, and the energy demands of the nation.
The Essay identifies a troubling paradox Highly efficient new mining technologies, including so-called "mountaintop removal" strip mining, have resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of well paying jobs while coal production has reached record levels and many coalfield communities remain mired in economic stagnation and poverty.
The Essay identifies provisions of the …