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Coal mining has a long and complex history in the Appalachian region. Beyond employment and economic opportunity, the industry has contributed significantly to the regional cultural identity. While market forces have reduced the role that coal mining plays in the economic landscape, thousands of families across Appalachia depend on it for their livelihoods. While the mantra of Coal is King still holds true for many across the region, Harry Caudill (1962, p. x) reveals that not all residents hold the industry in such high regard as he states “coal has always cursed the land in which it lies.” Many in the region share in Caudill’s critique and work diligently to resist the social and environmental complications associated with this extractive industry. Numerous, often overlapping, activist groups operate across the region to bring attention to issues affecting the places they call home.
Historically, most of the coal mining in Appalachia has been underground mining. For more than a century, sinking shafts deep into the ground was the preferred method of accessing the region’s rich supply of bituminous coal. While coal mining was foundational in bringing migrants and economic growth to the region, the numerous social and environmental challenges associated with Appalachia’s dependence on coal has been explored in great detail (Caudill, 1962; Gaventa, 1982; Eller, 2008). Surface mining has traditionally been reserved for the less mountainous parts of the Appalachian Plateau, such as eastern Ohio, where the terrain was more conducive to the massive dragline excavators frequently used in strip mining. Mountaintop removal mining is an innovation that allows surface mining methods to be implemented in the coalfields of southern West Virginia and other more mountainous parts of Appalachia (Reece, 2006; Scott 2010).