Appalachian Collapse Scenario

Run for the Hills: Appalachia’s Burning!!!

The Collapse of Appalachia by 2040

Table of ContentsChapter One: Stereotypes and

Povertyby Amy Thompson3069 words

Chapter Two: Education and Economic Development

by John Chenault3100 words

Chapter Three: Political Corruption

by Bethany Bargo3414 words

Chapter Four: Religionby Matt Finley3072 words

Chapter Five: Illegal Drug Useby Steve Skinner

2973 words

Chapter Six: Mountaintop Removal

by: Ashley Morgan2999 words

Chapter Seven: Clean Coal Technology

by Megan Kleinline3000 words

Chapter Eight: Energyby Shea Sheppard3100 words

Chapter Nine: Environmental Legislation

by Cullen Younger3688 words

Chapter Ten: Entrepreneurshipby Josh Tyree2897 words

Chapter Eleven: A Warningby Blake Gerughty3100 words

Chapter 1: Those Gosh Darn HillbilliesBY: AMY THOMPSON

How Stereotypes and Poverty will Affect Appalachia

Even if a stereotype generalizes good qualities, it is still damaging because it classifies an entire community of people before one can acknowledge the

personal differences that exist within such a community.

The Appalachian stereotype is devoid of any

qualities that could be labeled as good.Instead, it encompasses an array of

negative attributes.

1. Appalachians are unintelligent, uneducated, cannot read and have trouble understanding many situations.

2. Shoes are not are a part of an Appalachian’s wardrobe.

3. Appalachians are weak, helpless, shiftless and lazy.

4. That is why they are dirt poor. 5. And this leads them to be wholly

unhealthy (drugged up and drunk) and unhygienic.

6. Appalachians don’t take care of their families; they are irresponsible.

7. But they do take care of their guns. They love guns.

8. Marrying inside the family is not uncommon for Appalachians.

9. Appalachians need other people to do things for them because they

10. Appalachians are also referred to as hillbillies and/or rednecks.

“Oh, I don’t know. How about ‘Good

morning, Appalachia, I got a mighty cute sister and an extra

set of toes.” –Gilmore Girls

(Season 4, Episode 16)

The Appalachian Stereotype

Stereotypical Appalachian Characteristics:

Appalachian StereotypeThis stereotype is typically targeted toward the citizens of Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, the heart of Central Appalachia. It is one that, whether intending to or not, does not work to lift up the Appalachian people. Unfortunately, it demeans the people by painting them as incapable human beings.

Even if the stereotype is maintained only jokingly, its persistence in the world can lead to many people believing it as the ultimate truth. Those who are geographically removed, say in California, may never have the opportunity to see Central Appalachia and thus, would take what they hear as fact, especially when those stereotypes are supported by members of the news media like Bill O’Reilly. On his show, The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly claimed, for thousands to hear, that Appalachia was “hopeless” and the best thing Appalachians could do would be to “move to Miami.” These kinds of suggestions instill in his viewers minds that it is time to give up on the region (O’Reilly).

According to urbandictionary.com:Appalachian American [noun]

A PC term for any number of Americans who by region, decent or choice are hillbillies, hilljacks, hilligans or carnival workers.

Appalachian Appellation [noun] A name for a hillbilly, particularly

ones from mountain country. Examples include Clem, Bocephus, and Zeke. Female Appalachian Appellations include Daisy & Ellie Mae. Of course, hillbillies do not use the term themselves, since they can't pronounce the word APPELLATION.

Appalachian Stereotype: real-life affects

In the 2008 American presidential election, this very incident occurred with Sarah Palin. Palin is governor of Alaska, a state with which the majority of those living in the continental U.S. are unfamiliar.

During the 2008 election, members of the media, inside the news business and out, took facts about Palin like that she enjoys hunting and had an 18-year-old, unwed pregnant daughter, two Appalachian stereotypical characteristics, and amplified them in order to justify the renaming of her family the “Wasilla Hillbillies.”

The media purported this vision of Palin as a bumbling, unsophisticated, incapable hillbilly. It does not matter whether this labeling was based on truth or not. What is important is the fact that America, knowing very little about this political newcomer, accepted the media’s reports as truth, without imploring much further(Olbermann).

http://media.photobucket.com/image/wasilla%20hillbillies/nonnie9999/tv%20shows/thebeverlyhillbillies2.jpg

http://blog.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/2008/11/tt081029.jpg

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2






Appalachian Stereotype: origins

Around the same time the United States entered the industrial revolution in the late 19th and early 20th century, the Appalachian stereotype was emerging. Up until this time, the country’s economy was agriculturally based, the culture was heterogeneous, and communication was more rudimentary.

Once roads were developed and the economy changed, so did the way people saw each other, and the Appalachian stereotype prevailed. The country progressed: more roads, education was modernized; farming turned into to corporations and fast food chains began. Central Appalachia’s mountainous landscape made it hard to pave and while, there is enough land for individuals to keep gardens, agricultural on a massive scale is hard to sustain there. Central Appalachia was left behind as industry began to tighten its grasp on America.

Norma Myers, an archivist at the Archives for Appalachia acknowledges that “[t]here are little grains of truth in some of these stereotypes.” Yes, some people own overalls and some people choose not to wear shoes when outside; the region does have high poverty rates; there are drug problems and health problems, and yes some people in Appalachia are lazy, just like some people are in New York and Detroit, L.A. and Hartford.

Seeing these grains of truth as the absolute picture of Appalachia is a mistake. It is necessary to ask why these things are true and understand that they do not equate the Appalachian people to hopelessness.

The biggest problem with the Appalachian stereotype is that it is the only side displayed to people outside Appalachia. There is nothing wrong with walking around barefoot when you have soft, comforting land, like Bluegrass, to walk on, but when that plays into the one, mass generalization that is widely known about Appalachia, it provokes people to accept the bad attributes, like being lazy and uncaring, as true and provides less motivation to care about the well-being of the region (Calhoun).

“[t]he stereotypes have been applied

broadly to [all Appalachians], and

it’s been turned into a caricature.”-Norma Myers

Appalachian Stereotype:why it remains

The Appalachian stereotype remains because people, inside and outside of the region, refuse to let it die. It spread like a virus from personal perceptions of the region to bigger, more powerful outlets. Entertainment industries, mostly television, use the stereotype to amuse their viewers and make a profit, but even in this seemingly innocent fashion it is damaging.

After decades of the stereotype’s presence in

entertainment, it has crept into the news media

industry. It seems that the jokes have been around for

such a substantial amount of time that those who live

outside of the region believe that it is true. Now, it is

not unheard of for journalists and commentators to

report this stereotype as fact, shedding an unflattering

light directly on Central Appalachia.

As a result of the stereotype’s presence in highly watched shows like the O’Reilly factor and 20/20, the likelihood of people outside the region believing the stereotype as fact increases, making it harder to break, and it leads to insiders embracing the things that they are best known for: laziness and helplessness.

Then, it becomes easier for elites to thrive because it easier to enforce this stereotype. If enough voices in power say that the citizens of Central Appalachia are unintelligent or unskilled, they can manipulate the Central Appalachians into believing they deserve their poor quality of life. Furthermore, it limits beneficial development, like better forms of technical training and higher education, from coming into the region to elevate the people.

According to the Collins Essential English Dictionary:Hillbilly [noun]

Usually disparaging an unsophisticated person from the mountainous areas in the southeastern U.S.

http://www.costumesupercenter.com/csc/prod/116591/i/1/product.web

CMT is currently on their third season of “My Big Fat Redneck Wedding.” This particular wedding

cake is for the union of Carol and Carlis, a Waverly, Ohio couple (Season 3, Episode 14). Carol and Carlis are entitled to a confederate

themed wedding, but it does play into the stereotype by show in the same side of

Appalachia that is always shown. Those watching this televised event, who are unfamiliar region,

are once again, only provided with a single picture of Appalachia.

http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/my_big_redneck_wedding_3/151311/episode_photos.jhtml

Go into any Halloween costume store or scroll through any costume website, and you will most likely find some version of

this costume. This one is specifically called the “Hillbilly Bride Costume” and it

comes with an inflatable tummy, the essential accessory to really perfect the stereotypical look. The Bride and Groom costume can be yours for a mere $67.99

at Costumesupercenter.com !

Figure 1.3 Figure 1.4





This picture is a still from the Looney Tunes cartoon, “Hillbilly Hare.”

Similar to “The Beverly Hillbillies”, “Hillbilly Hare” feature naïve,

ignorant characters who loved their guns. Also, their lack of shoes is very noticeable. The difference between this cartoon and the live-action T.V. show is that this cartoon is targeted specifically to children. This instills a generic image of Appalachians at an

early age. http://yosemite-sam.net/Sam/Relatives/Hillbilly-Hare.JPG

From creative commons search

“The Beverly Hillbillies” was a television comedy that aired from

1962-1971. It focused on a country family’s move from the holler to L.A., after they accidentally struck oil. Each

week this was the version of “hillbillies” America saw. These

characters embodied naïve, ignorant personalities for fans to laugh at.

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/beverly-hillbillies-2.jpg From creative commons search

Figure 1.5

Figure 1.6

http://yosemite-sam.net/Sam/Relatives/Hillbilly-Hare.JPG

http://yosemite-sam.net/Sam/Relatives/Hillbilly-Hare.JPG

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/beverly-hillbillies-2.jpg

Jeff Foxworthy has made an entire career preying off the redneck stereotype that is frequently

associated with the people of Central Appalachia (Kentucky, West Virginia,

Tennessee). His most prolific joke, “You might be a redneck, if ________” pokes fun at Appalachians, implying their stupidity. Since it is all a joke

though, it seems to be okay with his fans.

Hillbilly Days is an annual event in Pikeville, Kentucky. While it provides an opportunity for socializing and fun, it is

a great example of how some Appalachians embrace the stereotype.

Furthermore, Hillbilly Days also provides evidence of how the stereotype is not as

prominent as some may think, considering that the Appalachians who

participate have to dress, on this special day, to specifically conform to the

stereotype.

Figure 1.7

http://www.thefoxworthystore.com/images/medium/redneckdictionary3_MED.jpg

From creative commons search

Figure 1.8

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/





Appalachian Stereotype:problems

The negative, Appalachian

stereotype has many adverse affects for

the Central Appalachian

Region:1. Limits tourism2. Limits the appeal of

colleges in the area

3. Weakens the morale of the citizens

4. Paves the way for the region’s communities to be manipulated and mistreated, as seen in the logic behind Bill O’Reilly

The Appalachian stereotype cannot get any worse. If this stereotype continues it will build up the power to drive Central Appalachia into a state of collapse. Stereotypes, this one especially, are more than just childish name-calling. They are a psychological force that frequently critiques the ability of an entire community of people.

When the Europeans arrived in North America, they stereotyped the Native American population as “savage” and used that to justify their vicious slaughter and oppression. Throughout the United State’s history, until the 20th century, blacks were stereotyped as” less than human;” they were consequently, enslaved and physically and verbally abused. For the same span of time, women in the U.S.A. were considered “weak” and thus denied the same rights of their male counterparts. These historical examples provide two options of what one can do with a stereotype. The American black and female communities broke through their stereotypes to succeed in their societies;

Native Americans, however, could not overcome the label that had been bestowed upon them, and almost entirely vanished.

Native Americans, blacks and women have all provided examples of the real danger involved in the present Appalachian stereotype, an example Central Appalachia must notice. By the stereotype’s future persistence, it will continue to shackle Central Appalachia and while Central Appalachians will not be physically slaughtered by the rest of the United States, their society and their place in it will be murdered. In order to avoid collapse, it is essential to remove the oppressive shackles of the Appalachian stereotype. If Appalachians cannot break through this stereotype, it will continue to persist and be amplified. The stereotype will start to become true and confine the majority of Central Appalachians to a disenfranchising label. And since people are not willing to help people who do not seem worth the time, this stereotype will threaten the possibility of people outside the region actually believing the Appalachian people deserve a better life.

2020

The Appalachian stereotype prevails in all forms of the media industry.

Stand-up comedians have

begun using Appalachian jokes to replace racial

and gender jokes. News

commentators have begun calling

for the United States government

to cut programs like welfare,

Medicare and Medicaid in Central

Appalachia because they

believe the people are using it for a

free ride.

2030

All of the people living outside the region are either

apathetic toward or cruelly dismiss the

problems of Central

Appalachians. Medicare and

Medicaid are cut to the region because

Central Appalachians are

all seen as substance abusers,

and the government has decided they will

not support such a widespread drug

problem.

2040

The stereotype has now amplified all of

the economic problems in the

region.

No businesses are interested in

coming to Central Appalachia

because they believe there is no money, from local

taxes or on an individual level to support them. The unfortunate aspect

is that they are right. The

stereotype has progressed into

such prominence that Central

Appalachians have nothing left but their poverty.

Figure 1.9

Poverty: introduction

The Appalachian Stereotype has prevailed for decades and it is not showing any signs of

demise. Because of this stagnation it amplifies one of the most depreciating problems in the

regions, individual poverty. The poverty experienced in Central Appalachia could get worse. In third world countries, like Somalia and South Africa, the people live in abject

poverty. That is where they are so poor that they are on the brink of death, where if

something bad happens, there is no back-up plan. Central Appalachian poverty in 2009 has not reached such a low level. However, if the current drivers of poverty do not cease, there

is a great probability that it will happen.

1980 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2003 2005 20070

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

Poverty TrendsU.S.A. Kentucky Tenn. Virginia W.V.

Year

Me

dia

n-I

nco

me

fo

r F

ou

r-P

ers

on

Fa

mil

ies (

in d

oll

ars

)Figure 1.10

Poverty

TrendsIn figure 1.11 (information from the labor of bureau statistics) Kentucky’s, Tennessee’s and West Virginia’s median incomes are never once above the median income as a whole. These three states make up the heaviest part Central Appalachia and also are the most deeply affected by coal mining. Therefore, they are victims to such problems like mechanization, environmental degradation and homogenous industries.

All of these limit growth and employment opportunities.

Virginia is the only Central Appalachian state whose median income exceeds the United State’s. This can be linked to the fact that very little of Virginia is actually a part of Central Appalachia and the rest of the state is more economically diversified.

Drivers of Central

Appalachian Poverty

Unemployment/Low paying jobs

Child Poverty(When a child

begins their life in poverty, it is hard for them to come

out of it, thus keeping them in a

cycle of poor.)

Environmental Degradation

(Common, violent destruction of the

land, mostly due to mountaintop

removal, causes tax money to be

diverted for fixing these

environmental problems instead

funding education. It also damages infrastructure,

which limits the growth/addition of

new business in the region.)

Power Inequalities

(occurs between elites-upper class

and politicians-and the working class, who do not have the same level of financial power.

Figure 1.11

Poverty: Unemployment/Low paying jobs

Central Appalachia does not stand alone in their chronic, rural poverty. South Africa faces an eerily similar situation, that should serve as a forewarning to the Central Appalachian region.

Elizabeth Francis writes that one of the biggest drivers of South Africa’s poverty is “historically generated power inequalities.” In Central Appalachia, power inequalities thrive. The coal mines dominate much of the region; they hire thousands, own much of the land, and support many of the region’s political candidates. The same circumstances occur in South Africa: the region “is dominated by an alliance between industrial, financial and mining capital…with landowners playing a less important role.” They too have an abundance of valuable resources; South Africa’s coal is platinum and mining has been a big industry there as well, especially throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s.Its mechanization dominated the land, stole jobs from the farmers, and squeezed the mineral rights out of the landowners. Combined these situations reduce the amount of jobs available in South Africa and consequently, the amount of money the working citizens make.

Since the 1977 signing of the Surface Mining Control and

Reclamation Act (SMCRA), mountaintop removalmining has taken away thousands of jobs. From

2006 to 2007 alone there was a 8.6% decrease in the

amount of miners employed in Central Appalachia. Most of this

was due to the mechanization of surface mining.

Because of the prominence of the mining industry though, there are not a lot of options for other employment (Coal Mining Productivity by State).

Once unemployment like this strike, it can fuel other drivers that maintain unemployment and consequently, poverty. When one loses a job it can trigger depression and/or substance abuse. As these problems progress, it becomes less likely that the individual find a new job because there is just not much a market for depressed, substance abusers. As Central Appalachia has little funds to rehabilitate people, it can deepen this cycle (Bishop).

1980 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 20080

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Unemployment TrendsUSA Kentucky Tenn. Virginia W.V.

Year

An

nu

al

Ave

rag

e U

ne

mp

loym

en

t P

erc

en

tag

eFigure 1.12

Poverty: additional drivers

As seen in figure 1.12 (information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), until 2003,West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee all have higher unemployment rates than the United States’ average. Virginia has a lower rate than the country’s average, but once again, it is important to remember how little of Virginia actually makes up Central Appalachia, and thus, suffers the same problems. West Virginia manages to maintain an unemployment rate lower than the United States’ average in 2005.

This improvement can be attributed to the increase of education attainment in the state. From 1980 to 2000, the percent of adults with high school diplomas jumped from 56% to 75.2%;

the percent of adults with college degrees increased from 10.4% to 14.8%

(Socioeconomic Data).

Even though West Virginia improved their unemployment rate, their poverty still remains dismal, like the rest of the Central Appalachian region. This can be connected back to the problem of an undiversified business economy. Without opportunities for high-paying jobs, besides mining foreman, there is little hope that Central Appalachians can bring themselves out of poverty.

2020

Poverty rates continue to increase

for West Virginia, Tennessee and

Kentucky, and people spend less on

medicine and health care, less on healthy

foods and their health declines.The tax base for

Central Appalachia declines and more people apply for

government funds, but do not get the money they need

because there are so many people who are

demanding it.

2030

It has become harder for Central

Appalachians to buy any food and

starvation rates increase.

The percent of adults with college degrees

plummet. Higher education has

become unaffordable for the majority of families and those who can finance

college, move out of the region.

2040Central Appalachia has reached abject

poverty. 1 in 4 children are dying of

starvation. A new global pandemic,

Dinosaur flu, spreads, but Central Appalachia does not have the funds for

proper medical care. The people are so unhealthy already that this flu wipes

out 20% of the population.

The only people with college degrees are

teachers, mining engineers and some

of the town’s mayors. There is less money

coming into government than can go out to serve the

community. Roads go into disrepair and only a fraction of

people can attain a basic level of health

care,.

Figure 1.13

Chapter One Works CitedBishop, Bill. "As Poverty Worsens in Appalachia, So Do Drug Abuse and Depression." Dailly Yonder.

Aug. 2008. 26 Apr. 2009 <http://www.dailyyonder.com/ poverty-worsens-appalachia- so-do-drug-abuse-and-depression>.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics. 22 Apr. 2009 <http://www.bls.gov/ lau/>.

Calhoun, Jennifer. "Archives dispel Appalachian stereotypes." East Tenessean. Nov. 2004. 24 Apr. 2009<http://media.www.easttennessean.com/media/storage/paper203/news/2004/11/01/Li

festyle/ Archives.Dispel.Appalachian.Stereotypes-789117.shtml>.

"Coal Mining Productivity by State and Mine Type ." Energy Information Administration . Sept. 2008.

U.S. Government. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/coal/page/acr/table21.html>.

Countdown with Keith Olberman. MSNBC. Nov. 2008. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JtelwDgX5Mc>.

Francis, Elizabeth. Poverty: Causes, Responses and Consequences in Rural South Africa. Development Destin Studies Institue, 2006. 26 Apr. 2009 <http://www.chronicpoverty.org/pdfs/

60Francis.pdf>.

"Socioeconomic Data." Appalachian Regional Commission. 2000. 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.arc.gov/search>

The O'Reilly Factor. Fox News. New York. Feb. 2009. Transcript. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLkc6LJmtNs>.

Chapter 2: We Don’t Need No EdumucationBY: JOHN CHENAULT

The Future of Education in Appalachia

Collapse: Education

Attempts to reform the system in the 1960s and, again, in the late 1980s and early 90s were aimed at the funding of the regions schools. The poorer school districts throughout Appalachia, lacking tax base and damaged by political patronage throughout the school system, have always trailed areas outside the region.

Today, two decades after major education reform in Appalachia, the region still lags nationally in many socioeconomic areas. Figure 1.1 is a graph showing the number of families in poverty by state. States of Central Appalachia are highlighted with red: Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee. As of 2007, these three Appalachian states rank among the highest nationally and well above the national average of 9.5 percent.

The socioeconomic plight of Appalachia has been well documented. As one of the Nation’s poorest regions having many unemployed and struggling just to stay alive. Ron Eller, in his book Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945, articulates the cause of many of the region’s woes: “Low per capita incomes reflect[s] a labor force that is largely uneducated” (Eller 31). Most observers of the history of Appalachia point to education as a primary cause of many troubles in the region. These include joblessness, poverty levels, drug addiction, and crime.

Explaining the regions difficulties as examined in 1960, Ronald Eller explains “Per capita assessments on property in the mountains averaged 38 percent less than comparable national assessments. Per pupil expenditures for education in Appalachia were about half those in the rest of the country” (Eller 31). Resulting education reform focused on trying to bring more money to the schools of the region. Reform in the late 1980s and 90s equalized funding in many school districts and helps allocate money to install the technologies necessary for schools of the approaching 21st century.

Figure 2.1: Families in Poverty

Source: 2007 American Community Survey

Figure 2.2 is even more telling about the regions educational situation. It graphs the percent of 18 to 64 year olds who have just a high school diploma or less, and are living in families with incomes below a living wage. Again, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee are highlighted in red; they all rank among the top ten nationally.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 American Community Survey

Figure 1.2: Percent of 18 to 64 Year Olds Who Have Just a High School Diploma or Less, and are Living in Families with Income Below a Living Wage

The numbers above may suggest that the schools systems in Appalachian states continue to trail nationally. Some might suggest legislation to inject more money into the regions education systems. Appalachian school systems may have needed more money allocated during the education reforms of the 20th century, but today education reform must be different. Leaders addressing problems in education today continue to try to bring in more money for struggling school districts. More attempts to inject money into the education systems would fall under the “Shifting the Burden” archetype defined by Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline.

The “Shifting the Burden” archetype holds that short-term fixes hinder the solving of the fundamental (long-term) problem. Legislators have fallen into a cycle by which they respond to the symptoms of a problem (low test scores and low educational achievement) with a short-term fix (the allocation of money to build school infrastructure and buy technology). When the government allocates money to education we see the results in the form of new schools and new stuff. This may be accompanied with some short-term successes such as higher standardized test scores, more students with high school diplomas and more students in college but the fundamental problem resurfaces: Appalachian people remain among the least-educated citizens of the United States. This happens because the solution offered creates some side effects that

reinforce the problem.

First, as we modernize our school systems we alienate the poorer, rural students who have less access to modern culture. Also, the consolidation of high schools has made it harder for rural students to get to school activities making them among the first students to drop out. These first two side effects show that many of the changes made in schools help those who least need it and harm those who are already disadvantaged.

Another side effect of past attempts to reform education is the tendency for the most educated people to leave the region. Figure 2.3 shows the “Shifting the Burden” archetype with Appalachia’s traditional education reform model on top in the section labeled “Symptomatic Solution.” A fundamental element of the “Shifting the Burden” archetype is that symptomatic solutions reinforce further reliance. As schools receive more and more updates and monies more and more successful students move away and ever more troubled students continue to struggle (including their children). Each year, as education levels remain low, the school systems of Appalachia will request more funding for more stuff—and the cycle continues indefinitely. The inability to retain the educated is causing a net loss of people who live and are employed in the region with higher education.

Education: shifting the burden

Figure 2.3: Shifting the Burden

Jim Dator, of the Manoa School of Future Studies, defines a collapse scenario not only as an image where the world ends, but can be a scenario where a system ceases to function as efficiently or as it was intended to function. Collapse can be complete nothingness and total loss or, as Dator explains, it can be “simply revert[ing] to a lower level of economic and social activity” (Dator Podcast). I will show that a collapse scenario already exists when applied to Appalachia’s education situation. Additionally, I will give a total collapse scenario in which the region ceases to exist.

Current Collapse in the SystemDefining collapse as when a system ceases to function as it should, Appalachia is experiencing collapse

at this very moment. The states of central Appalachia (defined in the portion as KY, WV and TN) have steadily educated more of their citizenry. A 2007 U.S. Census Bureau survey shows that among folks aged 65 and older, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee rank in the bottom five nationally in attainment of a high school diploma. Among people aged 44 to 65, the same three states improve, but still rank among the bottom ten nationally. More folks in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee aged 25 to 34 attained a high school diploma. Kentucky and West Virginia both rank above the national average in high school attainment rates for people aged 25 to 34. The numbers just discussed are shown below in figures 2.4, 2.5, and 2.6. Relevant states are highlighted in red.

Figure 2.4: Percent of Adults 65 and Older with a High School Diploma

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS)

Figure 2.5: Percent of Adults 45 to 64 with a High School Diploma


Figure 2.6: Percent of Adults 25 to 34 with a High School Diploma


Figures 2.4,2.5, and 2.6 show that education reform has led to the states of Appalachia educating more of its population; the information shows education attainment in a generational order. Using this information, I am assuming that the schools of the region are able to educate and prepare students for higher education. But poverty rates, joblessness, healthcare problems and lack of business still plague Appalachia. The answer can be explained by the amount of jobs available in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics occupations. Jobs in these fields are most relevant and needed compete in the modern globalized economy. Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee all rank in the bottom ten nationally and well below the national average in terms of percent of their population employed in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics occupations. The data is shown below in figure 3.4. For the most part, jobs in these areas are higher paying than other occupations and are associated with a strong and vibrant high-technology economy ready for business in the 21st century. States that score high in this measure are those most likely to attract highly-skilled college-educated people; in-state and out-of-state.

As of now, states of central Appalachia (KY, WV, and TN) are educated people at higher rates than ever. More people in the region are attaining high school diplomas and are going to college. Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee all rank above the national average in state and local support for higher education. A State Higher Education Executive Offices (SHEEO) survey shows that Kentucky provides $9.60 per $1,000 of personal income for higher education. West Virginia offers $8.51 per $1,000 of personal income; Tennessee provides $7.28 per $1,000 of personal income for higher education. These statistics help gauge the size and scope of a state’s effort to support higher education. The states discussed are clearly doing so. What these states are not doing is attracting modern businesses to retain the people that they educate (particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The net loss of people employed in occupations in these fields is a collapse scenario. Figure 2.7 shows the percent of the workforce employed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia are highlighted in red. All three states are in the bottom ten.

Education

Figure 2.7: Percent Employment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Occupations


Figure 2.8 is a diagram showing how the characteristics of a state’s workforce and economy are made. The characteristics of the workforce, which determines the economic conditions in the state, are determined by entrants into the workforce and the characteristics of the in-migrants. The state’s workforce loses the characteristics of the out-migrants. If the characteristics of the out-migrants include education in occupations that are higher paying and relevant in the modern market (i.e. science, technology, etc.) and the in-migrants don’t make up this difference, a collapse of the system has occurred. Eventually, total collapse and destruction will occur.

Figure 2.8: A State’s Workforce and Economy

Source: http://www.higheredinfo.org

Total Collapse: education

As Appalachia loses more and more educated citizens, the entire system will begin to suffer at an increasing rate. Businesses in the region relevant and fit for survival in the modern, globalized economy will decline until there are no more. Less educated Appalachians will stay in Appalachia as there aren’t jobs appropriate for higher levels of education; this creates an exponential loss rate of educated people. Appalachia offers little in the way of globalized businesses, thus, there are little opportunities for the well-educated. “Graduate and professional schools and institutions for scientific and medical research [are] scarce in Appalachia, leaving most of the region’s professionals to be educated outside the mountains and denying localities the economic, (educational) and civic benefits that such institutions (and people) provide to dynamic communities” (Eller 111).

Without the infrastructure and businesses necessary to attract and

keep smart people, Appalachia will continue to lose the people it has strived so hard to educate and remain stuck with the ones who are unable to adapt to the requirements of the new economy. The video clip hyperlinked below was made for the ten year anniversary of postsecondary education reform in Kentucky. It offers insights into Kentucky’s education and workforce goals and explains the value of higher education as it relates to jobs and business.•Video: 10 Year Anniversary of Kentucky Postsecondary Reform (view from 08:00-9:42)• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyPX_61yhNQ

The states of Appalachia must strive to attract the businesses necessary to retain the students it educates and, perhaps, attract educated people from out-of-state. Kentucky wants to double the number of people with bachelorette degrees by 2020. If Kentucky achieves this, experts predict that state revenue will increase by $9 billion and per capita income will increase $140 billion. Increasing the amount of students a state educates is one way to increase the odds of retaining educated people, but there are other ways to compete with other states in the global economy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyPX_61yhNQ



Broadband Access: A Possible Leverage Point

Senge, in The Fifth Discipline, defines a leverage point as something that requires little effort but produces a lot of action or results. Kentucky, West Virginia, and the rest of Appalachia could help attract the needed workforce by making the environment right for educated people. Any national or international business competitor must have access to the Internet. Businesses must be connected to the world, and doing that is much easier than in the past. Businesses in Appalachia have historically followed the interstate highways and set up close to them. Before the Internet it was much more necessary to be physically close to the market. Today, with speed and convenience of the World Wide Web, businesses are less reliant on being physically close to important clients. While the internet may be a potential leverage point in the system, bringing high-speed Internet to an under-educated region can be a complicated process. Some note that

the socioeconomic conditions don’t always favor adding the Internet. For instance, some residents may not see the advantage of being online and other may not be able to afford the subscription required for service. Cecilia Kang, a staff writer for the Washington Post, notes in her 2009 article “Rural Riddle: Do Jobs Follow Broadband Access” that “ residents with limited exposure to technology and low education levels may struggle to meet the job qualifications of tech-sector positions” (http://www.washingtonpost.com).

Providing high-Internet should be only one step (and a possible leverage point) in an ongoing process aimed at attracted educated people. The Internet must be met with an increase in the educated population of the region. Broadband can help jump-start an economy. Some promoters of increased broadband access cite the Appalachian town of Lebanon, Virginia as an example of how broadband can change an economy. Rep. Rick Boucher and then-Governor Mark R. Warner helped get $2.3 million in grants to bring fiber-optic cables to home and businesses in the city. The defense contractor Northrop Grumman and software-maker CGI soon placed businesses there and created jobs for around 700 people with an average salary of $50,000 a year. “It [also] helped that district planners at the same time converted an old strip mall to a training center that allowed residents to get their high school equivalency diplomas and prepare for jobs as technicians and information technology workers” (http://www.washingtonpost.com). Attracted the right jobs and people is a process that must be addressed at many levels; that is, many factors must align for real progress to be made. Figure 4.1 below shows the location of Lebanon, the broadband success story.

Figure 2.9: Location of Lebanon

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Attracting the Creative Class: Other Factors Discouraging Educated People from Staying in the Region

Richard Florida, in his book The Rise of the Creative Class, defines the people I have identified the people who work in the occupations I defined as beneficial to the region (in science, technology, etc.) as members of the “Creative Class.” He explains, “This book describes the emergence of a new social class. If you are a scientist, an architect or designer…or if you use creativity as a key factor in your work in business, education, health care, law or some other profession, you are a member” (Florida xxvii). Florida contends that these people are attracted to locations that offer similar things. A number of the regions that attract the most creative people are those that have major universities, research facilities and governments that support attracting creative class businesses and, thus, more creative class people. These places are not necessarily the large cities. Areas like Gainesville, Florida and Hartford, Connecticut harbor some of the largest concentrations of these people, so Appalachia is not out of the running because of its location and lack of population. Creative places are also not limited to established high-technology and cultural centers—so Appalachia can improve. Florida notes that significant competitive advantage goes to areas that already have concentrations of the class. Additionally, regions that harbor large concentrations of working and service class jobs are at a considerable disadvantage. If Appalachia wishes to compete, the region must attract more creative people. Areas with high concentrations of creative class workers tend to support high-tech businesses, so broadband access and the attraction of high-tech businesses is crucial to improving the demographic. Florida contends that creative people are attracted to areas with high technology, talent and

tolerance; what he labels the three ‘T’s’. High technology is present to harbor large, globalized businesses. Talent is present as high-tech businesses tend to produce innovation. The last ‘T’ is tolerance. This is the most challenging issue to the Appalachia. The region has long been heralded as a bastion of backwardness and limited tolerance. Florida contends that the creative people needed to attract modern business prefer to work in environments that are open to all. For example, Florida uses the Gay Index to measure an areas openness and level of diversity. With the logic that since integrating gays into mainstream society has been so difficult, he assumes areas that welcome gays welcome all people. Most educated people place value on this. For Appalachian towns and cities becoming more diverse would be nearly impossible. Low educational attainment rates and a high rate of Christian fundamentalism discourage almost anyone who is different, much less homosexuals, from living in the region.

ConclusionTo compete and remain relevant in the global economy Appalachian leaders and citizens must strive to increase not only the amount of people it educates, but must increase the amount of educated people that live and work in the region. Currently, a collapse scenario is taking place as Appalachia loses more educated folks than it gains annually. An eventual total destruction scenario will occur if this trend continues. The availability of jobs in the region will shrink. As a result, the tax base will decrease and infrastructure will suffer. Less businesses and educated people will inhabit the region. In an extreme situation, without federal or state legislative interference, the region could totally die. Downtown Detroit’s infrastructure and business state can serve as a model for what happens in a total economic collapse. The area produced too many working class jobs and not enough jobs in creative areas such as science, technology, and mathematics. This led to collapse of the system evidenced by Detroit’s crumbling infrastructure.

Chapter Two Works Cited

Eller, Ronald. Uneven Ground; The History of Appalachia Since 1945. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press, 2008.

Florida, Richard. The Rise of the Creative Class. New York: Basic Books, 2002.

Senge, Peter. The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday, 1990.

Chapter 3: Absolute Power Corrupts AbsolutelyBY: BETHANY BARGO

Politics and Collapse in Appalachia

Political Road to Collapse

Peter Senge, in his book The Fifth Discipline, defines an archetype called shifting the burden as “an underlying problem that generates symptoms that demand attention but the underlying problem is difficult for people to address so people ‘shift the burden’ of their problems to other solutions-well intentioned, easy fixes which seem extremely efficient” (103). The residents of Appalachia have been surrounded by this archetype for most of their lives. A problem presents itself, someone tries to combat it by coming up with quick fixes like trying to use gum to stop a leak. On the surface it appears

that the problem is being addressed however, “the underlying problem grows worse, unnoticed because the symptoms apparently clear up, and the system loses whatever abilities it had to solve the underlying problem” (Senge 103). Who is this someone that shifts the burden when they “fix” the problem? It is Appalachia’s finest, political elites who will hinder an entire region as long as they’re in power. The rest of the nation is moving forward while this region is staying stagnant. Political elites will personally drive the bus to the world of Appalachian collapse.

Political Road to Collapse: Vision 2040• The political road to collapse leads to Appalachia in 2040. There are no

more mountains, only level reminders of where a mountain once stood. It’s beauty has been destroyed and can only be found in historical pictures

• The area is more similar to a third world country, with pockets of drug abuse and 8th grade level education. The stereotypes are the same and no one seems to care.

• The rest of the world is 100 steps ahead and Appalachia will never catch up. Alternative energy has flooded the once coal enriched economy and the skills of the coal mine have not been replaced.

• The federal government used to care however there are more important issues on the agenda.

• However, one thing remains constant. One thing has not changed for 30 years or longer. The local and state political structures in Appalachia will gain power at any cost. They live in the mansions up on the hill while their voting base can not even afford to live in anything strong enough to support insulation. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

• The political structure looks more like a dictatorship than a democracy.

Political trends that lead to the collapse of

Appalachia in the year 2040


• The History of the (ARC) Appalachian Regional Commission– According to the commission’s website, “In 1960, the Region's governors

formed the Conference of Appalachian Governors to develop a regional approach to resolving these problems. In 1961, they took their case to newly elected President John F. Kennedy, who had been deeply moved by the poverty he saw during campaign trips to West Virginia.”

– The website also states that “in 1963 Kennedy formed a federal-state committee that came to be known as the President's Appalachian Regional Commission (PARC), and directed it to draw up "a comprehensive program for the economic development of the Appalachian Region”

• Some conditions that were facing the Appalachian region at that time were “One of every three Appalachians lived in poverty, per capita income was 23 percent lower than the U.S. average, and high unemployment and harsh living conditions had, in the 1950s, forced more than 2 million Appalachians to leave their homes and seek work in other regions.” (arc.gov)

Political Road to CollapseThe conditions facing the Appalachian region in 1963, the year the ARC was created, are the same conditions facing Appalachia today. 46 years later, no change, what gives? The programs enacted by the ARC were not bad, however the region has been left in the wrong hands.

According to Dr. Ronald Eller in his book titled Uneven Ground “five years after the ARC creation, low-income people in the sixty poorest counties in central Appalachia remained almost untouched by the commission’s

programs” (191)

According to the ARC, “While significant strides have been made since the mid 1960s, one fifth of the counties in Appalachia are still considered distressed. Figure 3.1 on the next slide shows the geographic locations of these 82 counties, and an apparent pattern does seem to exist in their location and concentration south and west in the region.”


Figure 3.1In 2040 the entire region will be distressed.

http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=2321

Political Road to Collapse: history of political efforts

For years politicians have tried their best to donate the best known efforts to alleviate the problems in Appalachia. It dates as far back as President John F. Kennedy who personally “telephoned the newly elected governor of Kentucky, Edward “Ned” Breathitt, and assured him that the White House would follow through on its commitment to Appalachia” (Eller 75).

The commitment from President Kennedy never reached it fulfillment due to his assassination in November 1963, however Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was right behind him to follow his lead.

Perhaps setting the tone for politicians and motivations toward the area, President Johnson demanded a war on poverty during the State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. (npr.org)

See President Johnsons Special Message to Congress about the War on Poverty

According to Dr. Ronald Eller in his book titled Uneven Ground, “Johnson understood the political benefits of government investment in local poverty programs, especially in the South, where white leaders were resisting federal civil rights pressures” (76).

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1964johnson-warpoverty.html



Political Road to Collapse: history of political efforts

The War on Poverty was a quick fix for the problems in Appalachia. In January 1968, Appalachia was still termed as a “forgotten land” (Eller 154). According to reporter Peter Schrag, “in the seven years since John F. Kennedy had drawn national attention to the region, grand solutions have soured into new problems, the exploitation of land and people continues, and even the best and most hopeful efforts are jeopardized by ugly political machines all too close to home” (Eller 154). Where did the political machines come from?

When Richard Nixon took over the Presidency, he continued the movement and perhaps

set off the domino effect that is still in place in Appalachia today. According to Kent Germany of the University of Virginia President Nixon “endorsed a ‘New Federalism’ in which the federal governments shifted more authority over social welfare enterprises to state and local government” and thus the problem worsens (2). Once the power over social welfare enterprises was turned over to the state and local governments of Appalachia, the area was controlled on every level by political powerhouses. For Kentucky Governor Breathitt, “the War on Poverty was dead” (Eller 156).

Political Road to Collapse• What are social welfare enterprises?

– According to Dr. Ronald Eller, “not only had government programs enlarged the number of politically dependent jobs, but Medicare and Medicaid had proven to be a boon for local druggists and physicians” (157).

– “Grocers welcomed expanding food stamp programs and checks for welfare, disability, and retirement flooded into county banks each month” (Eller 157)

• The political elites of Appalachia benefited from the social welfare enterprise more than anyone, even those the programs were “supposed” to help.

– Doctors make a lot of money and reelection campaigns cost a lot of money. Dr. Eller writes how “mountain physicians had long held influential positions in local politics and often were among the principal investors in local land development efforts.” (35)

– The creation of such an enterprise is the quick fix made by political elites to make it appear as though Appalachia is making strides when really all that is happening is the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

Political Road to Collapse• “The seeds of change and resistance had been planted” by the War on

Poverty “and even as government-sponsored funds for fighting poverty began to tighten, a wave of dissent washed across the mountains that would dramatize the depth of the region’s problems and reframe the debate over regional disparity for years to come” (Eller 132).

• “For some Appalachian elites, managing poverty was more acceptable than fighting it and sometimes more rewarding” (Eller 157)

• The regional disparity mentioned by Dr. Eller above continued to plague the Appalachian region through the course of 2010, 2020,

2030, and eventually lead to the ultimate collapse in 2040. It turned out to be true that managing poverty was definitely more acceptable

and rewarding, but it also proved to be the easiest way too. When the region can no longer lean on coal, the political elites stand by and

watch their own wealth grow as the region digresses because no one will pay to educate the unemployed.

Political Road to Collapse: State and Local

Government in Appalachia

(2009)The nation is coming off of a historical political turning point however Appalachia may

be more concerned at the moment with the upcoming local elections. One would think that maybe the mayor or state representative would

be of great importance to a local in the elections. Think again. It seems that “County Judge

Executive [is] easily the most important political office to most voters in the region”

(cyberhillbilly.blogspot.com).


• Judge executives control many jobs throughout a community. They also control the improvement and/or construction of local roads.

• Robert Ireland referred to Kentucky’s 120 counties as “little kingdoms” (cyberhillbilly.blogspot.com). The elected officials are the kings and queens while the citizens remain in the working class. The money they earn goes towards making “improvements” in the officials popularity, not in the area itself.

• The office of judge executive is in control of millions of county dollars.


• John Gaventa had a way of describing power in his book Power and Powerlessness which is described below.

• The elite versus the non-elite equals power versus powerlessness.

• In this case, the elite (A) determines/influences what the non-elite (B) want.

The elite County Judge Executive has a job opening. The non-elite, out of work citizen needs the job, however their family was on the opposite end of the voting spectrum during the last election. “A” has the ability to determine what “B” wants when re-election rolls around.

Political Road to Collapse• Just how much power do they have?• According to the website cyberhillbilly.blogspot.com, Judge Executives

control jobs such as “receptionists, solid waste management, 911 directors, Deputy Judge Executive, economic development positions.”

• Jobs such as these are definitely important in small counties in Appalachia. They could very well determine whether someone has to rely on the social welfare enterprises or if they will earn themselves the food they put on the table for dinner. Those in power tend to offer the jobs up to a friend of a friend-someone they owe a favor to because they helped them out during campaign season. Citizens of Appalachia can not catch up to the rest of the nation when their own political authorities dictate whether they will have a job or rely on food stamps and a medical card.

• In fact, “the combination of a good word from the county judge executive and a certification of disability from the local doctor was almost certain to convince the Department of Social Welfare to approve a monthly check and to obligate the claimant to the local political machine as well” (Eller 35).


• Did you know:– “Four serving or former Eastern Kentucky County Judge

Executives over the past few years have gone to prison-two from Knott County, one from Knox County, and one from Perry County” (cyberhillbilly.blogspot.com)

– “Five Clay County Kentucky officials, including the circuit court judge, the country clerk, and election officers were arrested Thursday after they were indicted on federal charges accusing them of using corrupt tactics to obtain political power and personal gain” (schneir.com)

– The lack of trust in the political structure leads to collapse of the political democracy (if one can even call it that) into a complete political dictatorship. Incomes, employment, land ownership, road improvement, clean water, etc is all predetermined by the powerful.

Political Road to Collapse• During the tough economic times, many elected officials, including

President Obama tried to show support for the country by decreasing the amount of bonuses or raises received. This seems to show the country trending away from the trickle down affect that has plagued the Appalachian area for so many decades which creates an even wider gap between Appalachia and the rest of the world.

• Dr. Eller wrote of this in his book which was published in 2008 before the elections were even over. It appears that Appalachians have dealt with this political gap more than once. Dr. Eller says “mountain residents had always felt a sense of separateness from mainstream society that reinforced their passion for freedom and independence” and he attributes the reinforced “pride in things local and familiar” from political elites as a “pretext to resist change and eventually it was utilized by mountain elites to maintain long, established political dynasties” (245).

• It isn’t that Appalachians do not want change, it is that they are told that change is not what they want. Political elites seem to use the motto “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” In their world, Appalachia is not broken-they thrive although the area is collapsing.

Political Road to Collapse• A prime example of a political elite in Appalachia is the Governor of West

Virginia Joe Manchin.– Manchin was recently re-elected to his second term in 2008.

• Here is what Governor Manchin had to say when he addressed the West Virginia Public Employees Union UE Local 170 who were rallying for a pay raise:– “I would think they would be tickled to death to have a job, to have a

good paycheck, and a benefits package” (appalachiangreens.blogspot.com).

• In an economy like that of 2009, that seems to be a pretty logical statement. If you were to ask someone who was just laid off from their job, they would probably be content to just have a job, much less a raise.

• According to the Charleston Gazette, “Manchin said he respects the right of public employees to rally for a pay raise, says it is all part of the legislative process, but that state employees should be consider themselves lucky at the moment to have a secure job” (appalachingreens.blogspot.com).– Manchin also stated that “many private-sector workers and public

employees in other states are ‘scared to death’ that they may lose their job” (appalachingreens.blogspot.com).

• Again, this is a prime example of an elite determining what a non-elite wants.

Political Road to Collapse• Here was Governor Manchin’s response to his executive staff’s, as well as

his own pay raise:– According to the Charleston Gazette “Manchin said he was justified in

giving seven members of his executive staff pay raises of 12% or more, because of additional responsibilities they are taking on in the second term of his administration” (appalachiangreens.blogspot.com)

– Governor Manchin increased his own salary by $55,000, from $95,000 to $150,000 a year. (appalachiangreens.blogspot.com)

– Who exactly needs that much of a raise? Maybe a governor who owns a $2 million dollar private plane!

• Appalachians are partially responsible for electing Governor Manchin not once but twice. The lack of education, especially in the political arena would explain this. Most Appalachians grow up and vote a certain way because it is how their father or mother voted. As the area becomes even less educated in 2040, Appalachian states all acquire governors like this.

Political Road to Collapse• National Politics Leaving Appalachia Behind

– In the 21st century as the rest of the world focuses on clean coal, alternative energy, mass technology, and the outsourcing of jobs, the gap between Appalachia and the rest of America widens.

– It is no surprise that coal is a big economic crutch in the Appalachian region however changes in energy capabilities are hindering the region. Dr. Eller stated that “changes in the coal industry had been at the core of central Appalachia’s economic distress since WWII. The introduction of new technologies had given rise to massive unemployment in the underground mines and to the emergence of surface mining practices that left the landscape scarred and degraded” (144).

– As the nation moves toward an alternative energy approach, Appalachia will move closer to collapse. According to the website publicintegrity.org, the “earnings of the top five U.S. coal producers more than doubled in 2008.”

– According to Marianne Lavelle’s article on the website publicintegrity.org, the top 5 coal producers in the U.S. are Peabody Energy (1), Arch Coal (2), Rio Tinto Energy America (3), Foundation Coal (4), and CONSOL Energy (5). The following graph shows their record profits for 2008. Figure 3.2


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Figure 3.2Money in the bank while the region suffershttp://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/climate_change/articles/entry/1280


• The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is “a collection of 48 mining, rail, manufacturing, and power companies with an annual budget of over $45 million which is three times larger than the coal industry’s previous lobby and PR groups” (Lavelle). (See Figure 3.3)

• If history serves us right, politicians will follow the money trail, which apparently leads to the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. With further support from politicians on a local level, the practice of producing clean coal could set the Appalachian region even further back. There is not anything wrong will trying to produce a more environmentally friendly type of energy, however political elites will not spend the time nor money to retrain so many Appalachians who know only the traditional skill of coal mining by mountain top removal.


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Clean Coal Campaign Funding

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Figure 3.3A trend that will change the nationhttp://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/climate_change/

assets/pdf/Mining_Record_Profits.pdf

Political Road to Collapse• Beginning in 2009, President Obama has taken steps to move

away from old policies on mountain top removal. – President Obama made “a decision to suspend and review permits for two

mountaintop removal mining operations, an action that effectively suspends more than 100 additional valley fill permits that threaten to bury hundreds more miles of headwater streams and destroy dozens more Appalachian mountains” (ilovemountains.org). This is good for the environment but bad for the job market in Appalachia. Political elites will find another way to increase their fortune, however Appalachians will continue to rely on social welfare enterprises.

• “The National Mine Association is already issuing sky-is-falling predictions of job losses if permits to stop mountain top removal are not issued immediately” (ilovemountains.org).

• “The Department of Energy projects Central Appalachia coal production will decline 25% in the next decade, and it is common knowledge that the Appalachian coal industry is undergoing a steep decline simply because the highest quality and easiest access to coal seams have long since been mined out” (ilovemountains.org).

Political Road to Collapse• Although President Obama has set the reverse of mountain top

removal in motion, local political elites will not give up that easily.– “A controversial mountain top removal mine in Eastern Kentucky was approved the

day after the Environmental Protection Agency said it was going to review such permits” (kentucky.com). The tug of war between local government in Appalachia and the federal government in Washington D.C. will continue while the Appalachian citizens pay the price.

• The choice Appalachians have is to A.)comply with President Obama, forgo mountain top removal, and lose thousands of jobs without receiving any training in any other fields or B.) continue mountain top removal and forsake their land and environment, as well as their health and well being. That is not much choice to have.

• Figure 3.4 on the following page showed “that the region where mountain top removal occurs scored the lowest of any region in the nation for their ‘Index of Well Being.’ Three Congressional Districts in Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Southern West Virginia where more than 90% of mountain top removal operations are located were all among the bottom 2% of districts in the Gallup Survey” (ilovemountains.org).


According to the website ilovemountains.org, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi are ranked as the 48th, 49th, and 50th lowest well being states. Well being is “the index score for the nation and for each state is an average of six sub-indexes, which individually examine life evaluation, healthy behaviors, work environment, physical health, emotional health, and access to basic necessities. The questions in each sub-index are asked nightly of 1,000 national adults, aged 18 and older.” The political elite are definitely not listed in this group. In fact, in 2040 the well-being will be worse and the political elites will be as powerful as ever.

Figure 3.4

http://www.ilovemountains.org/news/493


In summary, by 2040 the political structure in Appalachia will be a complete dictatorship. Some would argue that is no different from today. However, what will have changed is the type of people under their rule. Due to

political corruption, the only individuals left in the area will be uneducated, untrained, out of work citizens who will make whatever living

they can off of social welfare enterprises, that keep them forever chained to the political

hierarchy that exists.

Chapter Three Works Cited

"ARC | History." ARC | Appalachian Regional Commission. 27 Apr. 2009 <http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=7>.

"Election Fraud in Kentucky." Schneirer on Security. 24 Mar. 2009 <http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/03/election_fraud.html>.

"Election 2010: Appalachian Kentucky County Judge Executive Roundup." Cyberhillbilly. 07 Apr. 2009 <http://cyberhillbilly.blogspot.com/2009/04/election-2010-appalachian-kentucky.html>.

Eller, Ronald D. Uneven ground Appalachia since 1945. Lexington: University P of Kentucky, 2008. Faculty Web Sites at the University of Virginia. 25 Apr. 2009 <http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/sixties/readings/War

%20on%20Poverty%20entry%20Poverty%20Encyclopedia.pdf>. Gaventa, John. Power and Powerlessness Quiescence & Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley. New York: University

of Illinois P, 1982. "Governor Joe Manchin is Lucky to Have a Job (And a New Airplane)." 17 Feb. 2009

<http://appalachiangreens.blogspot.com/2009/02/governor-joe-manchin-is-lucky-to-have.html>. Halsall, Paul. "Modern History Sourcebook: President Lyndon B. Johnson: The War on Poverty, March 1964." 29

Apr. 2009 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1964johnson-warpoverty.html>. "Hope Is Alive in Appalachia: President Obama breaks with the Bush Administration policy on mountaintop

removal coal mining." 24 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ilovemountains.org/news/493>. Lavelle, Marianne. "The 'Clean Coal' Lobbying Blitz." 20 Apr. 2009

<http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/climate_change/articles/entry/1280>. Mead, Andy. "Leslie County mine permit approved; environmentalists appeal to Obama." 28 Mar. 2009

<http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/741568.html>. Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization. New York: Currency, 2006. Siegel, Robert. "Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty." NPR. 29 Apr. 2009

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1589660>.

Chapter 4: A Burger With a Side of XanexBY: STEVE SKINNER

The Future of Drugs in Appalachia

Drug Abuse

Appalachian is one of the most diverse and beautiful mountain ranges in the word. Underneath the beauty lies a very dark side, derived from greed and power. Appalachia has struggled with economic and social distress for over a century. The region has been plagued with the rampant demand for cheep energy; along with the overexpansion of mines during the industrialization, and war efforts leaving an instable market where only the large companies could survive (1). This and other factors such as; out migration, welfare programs, the war on poverty during the 70’s, concentration of political power, increased infrastructure in the outer regions, have all contributed to the overall poverty in the area especially with in the central hart of the region.

Drug AbuseWith the high poverty rates, lack of

economic opportunity, and education; the Appalachia region has long struggled with substance abuse. The early mountaineers did not look at it as substance abuse, but more like self medicating. The rough conditions in the mines, low economic level, and high unemployment in the region, led many to self medicate with moonshine and marijuana. They also granted light on an economic opportunity, for anyone willing to break the law, and many jumped on the lucrative band wagon. Moonshine and Marijuana helped ease the pain, as well as the feelings of inadequacy from lack of employment, as well as the pain the one endures while working in the mine.

Though now days the illegal drug use in

Appalachia has evolved from moonshine and marijuana, to the much more addictive, and dangerous forms of abuse. Today the region suffers from an epidemic of prescription painkiller. The epidemic has touched all most everyone in the Appalachia region. As Doctor Eller points out in “Uneven Ground” from 2000 to 2002 there were more than 1300 drug related deaths occurred in the mountains of the blue grass state. It is clear there is a very big problem in the Appalachia region and growing. In a resent ARC report released showed a nation wide increase in prescription painkillers among adolescents, and even a higher increase in the Appalachian region among adolescents. (2)

Figure 1 abuse with opiates

Drug Abuse• The question is how can we fix this,

and if not soon what will the future hold for Appalachia? When looking at the illegal drug use in Appalachia it is easy to generalize the problem with a stereotype, and blame it on those suffering with addiction. But it is much more complex than that; the low socioeconomic levels of the central areas of the region are being reinforced with new policy decisions. The education system, health care, and the political figures in the region have all played roles in the use of illegal drugs in the region. The central region of Appalachia, consist of Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and East Tennessee.

You can also see that the central part of Appalachia

has the worst economic levels in the region.

Drug Abuse

This is important because the blunt of the illegal drug use is focused in this area, and has a direct link to the lack of economic opportunity. This is also where the majority of the mining is done. The socioeconomic conditions have tried to be combated on many different levels, in many areas but we tend to see the same result. The political elites become more concentrated with power, while the division grows stacking the odds even higher against the worst off.

Health CareThe Health Care system played a vital role in the illegal drug use by

the region. Looking at one aspect, for prescription painkillers to get on the street they have to prescribed by a doctor or stolen at some time or another. At the same time this region is one that endures health risks, and hard work in the mines. So there is a large demand for pain medication that may be essentially needed. The ARC report also notes that Appalachia suffers from one of the highest levels of mental illness in our country. This is another need for prescriptions drugs; although these type a pharmaceuticals are much different than the very addictive opiates causing most of the trouble. But note that the increase in the mental health disorders could have a small link to OxyCotin being prescribed less, and replaced more with the less addictive oxycodone. But when this medication is mixed with zanax or valium, then the user get an even more euphoric high than before. Also pain management centers have became quite a lucrative business in the mountains, allowing for good business for Pharmacist.

Health Care The real problem with the health care; the majority of the

facility are located on the outer regions of Appalachia. This resembles a trend for most of the infrastructure in the area. There has been so much money thrown at the system to increase the healthcare, but never reaches the core of Appalachia. In a resent ARC report over 60% of adult hospital stays in Appalachia were billed to the government, a 10% more than the rest of the nation. There was also a very interesting finding; while less economically developed counties were expected to have a greater percentage of Medicaid payers than the more developed areas. “ However, fewer stays in Appalachian community hospitals in “Distressed” “At-Risk,” and “Transitional” counties were billed to Medicaid than in non-Appalachia counties with similar economic development status. It appears that the delivery or utilization support across communities with differing economic development levels is uneven (2).”

So comparing the distressed counties, where nearly 90% of patients are in the lowest income bracket, to the attainment counties only 36% of patients are in the lowest income bracket. It is hard to figure out why there is less use of Medicaid in the core regions. The reasons could be derived from many reasons. One could be the people located in the core of Appalachia have very strong ties to a prideful and self-reliance

culture and heritage. Many of the Appalachian people have worked hard all their life, and do not like the idea that they can’t take care of themselves. There is a little bit of a stigma of helplessness they want to stay away from. Another reason could also be link to the lack of broadband in the area. The most prevalent areas for broadband are located on the outer region of the area. The availability to get on the internet and find out, and apply for these programs could make some difference. There is also an overall trend with more people in the Appalachia region seeking routine treatment at the emergency rooms. But this trend is heavily concentrated in the central most distressed regions.

Health Care

Health CareThese current trends in the health care system tell us

something is wrong. We see that the core part of Appalachia that suffers the worst from the socioeconomic issues, should have a higher percentage on government medical care, but that’s not the case. And the graph above shows that the core of Appalachia is more likely to seek the emergency room for help, than other options. This is a disastrous situation which is only hurting the worse off. We also know that this region is also suffering from the highest rate for illegal drug use and is directly linked to less economic development, and the coal counties. If less people in the core region are using less government health care, and less are seeking medical attention, and still have the worse drug problem. The sum of this adds up to a very profitable market for drug dealers.

The use of illegal drugs hurts the socioeconomic level of an area and slows the progress. There is also a problem with the people of the core regions more likely to seek emergency care. This could be because they have less government healthcare, and the emergency room has to treat you. The real problem is who and how are going pay the hospital bills. The bills will add to creating more economic distress of the people on the region. Though most hospital try to set up some kind of payment plans, most of the people will never be able to get them under control. Eventually the hospitals will turn the bills over to collectors, and adds more problems to the people in the

region. The health care system reinforces the economic and social distress, and reinforcing the drug problems the region is suffering from. Most of the efforts trying to solve the health care problems in the region, has only worsen the overall problem in core regions of Appalachia.

The School SystemThe education system is also closely linked to the use of

illegal drugs in the region. There seems to be trends with the educated that are similar to the health care system. The region has a long history of lack of education and high poverty rates, and many policy leaders felt throwing out money to create infrastructure in the area would fix the problems. This again, left the core regions of Appalachia in the dark. The newly consolidated schools systems and infrastructure in the outer region of the area region, left many people in the core region facing challenges of transportation, and cultural alienation. The children from the core areas, were among the first to drop out of high school after ninth grade, and the ones that did finish high school were less likely to go on to get a higher education(1).And among the students that did leave the region for higher education, they were less likely to return to full time residency. “ The newly consolidated schools enhanced the economic opportunities of county officials and their families but only facilitated the exodus of talented students from rule areas(239).” The newly consolidated schools were designed to help the overall heath of the system, but only divided the region more. Also, as you can see from the chart below the more educated a person is, the less likely

they will suffer from substance abuse. The most unlikely to abuse drugs are the collage educated population; which is a population missing from the region. That the education system ships out to mainstream America. Leaving the more likely candidates for drug abuse in the region

The chart below illustrates the percent of educated and

uneducated people using illegal drugs.

The School System The School System is also face the

rising use of prescription painkillers among adolescents. This makes the school a common ground for kid distributing and using drugs. When kids start taking such strong addictive drugs at such a young age, it can really mess the rest of their life up. Along with the education system comes lots of anti- drug programs; the intentions are good but, any reasonable person would have to question a program that tells kids that marijuana, and oxy, and meth are the same terrible drugs that can ruin your life. So

when the kids first start experiment with drugs and they try a joint and realize it’s not that bad, so OxyCotin must not be that bad. When actual they are completely different and one has one of the worst addictions you can be hooked on. The current education system in Appalachia has contributed to the heavy divisions in the region, and reinforces the heavy drug use in the core region of Appalachia.

Political CorruptionPolitical corruption has been a problem Appalachia has suffered with, since the earliest days of the region. The political corruption has always been linked to the special interest groups that have economic power in the region. “The political culture that had evolved with the arrival of industrialization decades earlier now proved to be the great barrier to structural change (1 ).” So it is no surprise to see the link, between political corruption and illegal drugs in Appalachia

Since there is such a high rate of abuse in the core region, and the people of the area less like to travel for medical attention. It crates a prime opportunity for drug dealers to make a nice amount of cash. And as long as they are able to pay the county sheriff, or the local state trooper they can have free range to distribute as they want.

Political Corruption

As Doctor Eller points out “ Mingo county West Virginia, for example in the late 1980’s when sixty two local officials were indicted for corruption with in a two year period. Among those convicted were two sheriffs, a police chief, and the fire chief (1).” There drug corruption runs further than just the local police. Also arrested in this same operation was the president of the school board, and director of the poverty program, who had personally handed out over 2,400 jobs; that compromised over one forth of the jobs in the county. In Wise County west Virginia, the mayor and 12 county officials wee indicted for buying votes (1 ). Allowing this illegal drug activity to just add to the social and economic distress.

Political CorruptionNot only doses the political

corruption tie in directly to the distribution of the drugs or the protection for distributors. It also creates a situation that reinforces the division between the worst off. The “political elites use patronage, fear, and prejudice to maintain privilege and power in their modern little kingdoms (1).” A lot of smaller county politics were accused of keeping the region down to maintain power.

In the more resent years the boom in prisons, have made a lot of

noise around the region. The incarceration rate has jumped up dramatically, and the local jails are busting at the seems “ Since 1970, the overall crime rate has increased by about 3 percent but the incarceration rate has jumped 600 percent as the total prison population in Kentucky went from about 2,800 in 1970 to 22,400 today. About 8,000 of those are housed in county jails which in many counties are busting county budgets (3).

The increase in jail population could have a

direct tie to prison based gerrymandering • “By counting inmates at prison instead of at

home, the bureau allows unscrupulous legislatures to create phantom districts that sometimes contain more inmates than actual constituents. Politicians from these bogus districts can be elected with shockingly small numbers of votes. Once in office, they reward friends, punish enemies, and generally wield as much power as legislators from legitimate districts with many more real constituents. (4).”


• The report goes on to say the ”U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Appalachian Regional Commission which makes $60 million available annually to impoverished Appalachian communities based on a formula that includes total population of each county. (4)” This types of formula awards communities that build prisons with more money. And allows the politicians to continue to use patronage, and allow few inside the circle to benefit. For the prisons to keep operating it needs inmates, and more inmates bring more monies, and more money goes in the hands of the political elites to pass out to their cronies.


• The political corruption has only added to the illegal drug use in the Appalachia. At a local level counties tend to focus on the drug abusers rather than the dealers. The dealers can pad the pockets of the local officials, to provide safety. Also the local official need them dealing the drugs because if they stopped then they might not have a job.

ConclusionThe overall prescription drug abuse in the core region

has continued to grow; and the alarming rate of abuse with adolescences is especially concerning. The more the local elites do, appearing as if there trying to help the region only worsen, the worst off in the region. The worst off in the region is who really needs the health care; and are the counties that are focused in the center hart of the region. These counties happen to be the majority of the coal mining counties who really badly need health care, because of the harsh life that comes to the mines

They also suffer from the highest poverty rates, as well as high mental health rates. Then stick the hospitals on the outer regions, far out of sight; that kind of sounds like a recipe for drug abuse. And areas that suffer from drug abuse hurt the socioeconomic conditions. The already low socioeconomic and lack of education tend to cause the substance abuse. The education system has contributed to the problem as well. The consolidations of schools located in the outer region have alienated the youth and put transportation barriers between central Appalachia and the schools.

Also shipping the regions brightest off to collage. This hurt the core regions even more, a region already on its back throwing punches. The political corruption

just puts the icing on the cake. The health care and the education system were strongly shaped they way they are through the hands of local politics. All of these problems reinforce the lack of education, economic development the primary reason for drug abuse. And drug abuse adds to the socioeconomic problems.

Collapse

If Appalachia continues advancing down this path then they are doomed for collapse. The definition of collapse could be total doom, or just collapse to a lower level of economic and social level than before. The central hart of Appalachia might already be very close to this second definition. So if they do continue down this path the they are doomed.

Works Cited

(1)Eller, Ronald. Uneven ground Appalachia Since 1945. university of Kentucky press 2008.

(2) http://www.kentucky.com/static/pdfs/ARCreport.pdf(3)

http://www.dailyindependent.com/statenews/local_story_072002822.html).

(4) http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/the-census- phantom-constituents/

http://www.kentucky.com/static/pdfs/ARCreport.pdf

http://www.kentucky.com/static/pdfs/ARCreport.pdf

http://www.dailyindependent.com/statenews/local_story_072002822.html)



http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/the-census-phantom-constituents/



Chapter 5: “I’ve been preachin’ the gospel for 25 years, and I’ve never seen a time so bad”BY: MATT FINLEY

Religion and Collapse in Appalachia

Religion and Collapse in Appalachia

Current trends in Appalachia are key in establishing possible futures for the region. Without them there is no intelligent way for any person to credibly predict the possible paths that the people of the region could pursue. Specifically, these trends are useful in forecasting where Appalachia could be heading from an objective stance and, as we desire to do here, examine what events need to or do not need to unfold for Appalachia to experience complete collapse of it's current state. Several drivers can be examined following current trends, such as a consolidation of schools, increase in homeschooling, more and

more surface mining, increasing economic development at the growth poles while decreased development in central Appalachia, and a continuation of coal mining in the region as new alternative sources of energy are developed. But a supporting trend in the midst of all these others, and what may very well be driving Appalachia to the edge, is their constant, unchanging fundamental values founded in the long history of "Mountain Religion." Although in itself it may not lead to collapse, mountain religious ideas supplement many of these drivers and push them even more so towards the Appalachian collapse scenario.

http://image58.webshots.com/58/1/3/23/418010323WOkOcr_fs.jpg




Religion

"It is stereotyped as hyper-Calvinist, trapped in a fatalism and passivity that strips Appalachia’s people of power over their own destinies. Mountain people are perceived by outsiders as embracing a Bible-thumping, literal fundamentalism: Christianity at its worst. Their religion is deemed the product of illiteracy, anti-intellectualism, and ignorance. It is called a "hillbilly religion," clannishly sectarian and individualistic, prone to internal conflicts in an endless epidemic of split congregations that create even more small, peculiar, and uncooperative churches.” (1)

Just Stereotypes?

Many times, conceptions are created of Appalachian religion which seem very derogatory. As the quote suggests, these conceptions are seen as only stereotypical ways of viewing the Appalachian religious situation. The idea that these stereotypes are wrong and need to be overcome is prevalent in these articles but have a serious problem in that there is no backbone to the arguments. "Most recently, religion in Appalachia has been characterized as 'the religion of the poor.' It is hyped as the religion of an oppressed people who are voiceless victims in need of others more powerful than they to speak and act on their behalf." (2)

But why is this wrong? Statistics show that this is indeed how it is…

http://www.the-next-wave-ezine.info/userfiles/Image/July_07/preacher.jpg




(3)

Figure 5.1 -

Religion

• Even the first generalization of stereotypes made by the quote above is certainly true according to a popular history of the Appalachian region by John Alexander Williams. He examines "mountain religion" as the "truest conception of who the Appalachian people are" (4). The ideas of this specific religion sprung from several different sources, including pietism which "explains the resistance of Appalachian churches to hierarchical direction and extra biblical authority in matters of doctrine.” (5)

• This can be traced from the leftist side of the reformation when a group of believers fought for valid religious experience being inner conversion and thoughts. So, the mountain religion of today is looking in the next world as opposed to this one, with a hyper-Calvinistic, hyper-fundamental

viewpoint on almost all issues. Add these ideas to the drivers and progress seems very difficult if it does not adhere to the bible's teachings. But to refute part of the quote ,this religion certainly did not evolve from ignorance and anti-intellectualism but from a long-standing, deep history which adds to the idea that the trend may never be bucked in favor of a more denominational, progressive viewpoint. Also, the trend of mountain preachers not being predominantly seminary educated leads to a continuation of these traditions, the preachers feel that they are called by faith not created by some education. "In mountain traditions, a preacher and pastor is 'called upon' by God and equipped by God, not made through seminary education or even necessarily by being ordained." (6)

Religion from the people’s perspective

http://www.wcu.edu/library/digitalcoll/kephart/onlineexhibit/People/images/PeopleMain.jpg

Religion

• Now that we've shown that the stereotypes are not stereotypes but just the way that "mountain religion" has developed, how does this idea play into the collapse scenario and direct several drivers in regional systems towards collapse? First of all looking at education, these fundamental ideas and belief in self-conversion absent of outside hierarchical interference are obviously going to play an integral part in Appalachian's viewpoint on educational systems. Religion's place in education is one that doesn't have a clear problem. In fact it is very difficult to see if you do not place it in the correct system archetype, but once we examine the relationship between religion and education we can see that it is a success to the successful system. According to trends in the region, Appalachian homeschooling skyrocketed in 20 years. "The number of home schooled children has grown from about 15,000 in the early 1970s to between 120,000 and 260,000 children today [1986]“ (7)

• Assuming that this is a fixed increase of

home schooled children per year, one can see the number in 30 years to be around 440,000. Pair that with the trend of consolidation of schools in the growth poles of Appalachia, peripheral towns around Appalachia, and central Appalachia, for lack of being able to get to the new schools in many cases and conceptions which will be explained momentarily, can not help but to home school their children. On top of this commonly held conceptions by many Appalachians is that they are homeschooling to protect their children from the "dangers of public schools" (8). Christian home schooling, or otherwise biased, alternatives to public education seems like the only paths that education in central Appalachia can take moving into the future, and in fact does not seem that dangerous or leading to collapse at all. In fact Homeschooling has actually been much more successful than in years past.

Religion and Education

http://www.lib.utk.edu/arrowmont/Files%20&%20Photos/education/JPEGs/arrs0003_0024_0001.jpg

Religion: success to the successful

But now it will pay to evaluate the harmful system at play. (See figure 5.2) Two increasing loops are present, both of which seem successful but one is moving much faster than the other and is depriving the slower moving loop of priceless resources/support. In this system, support is being allocated to religion as opposed to a standardized, secular education. Children's standardized education, say scientific method or researching methods, is abandoned in place of biased teaching or homeschooling. This is met with success which can be very confusing. But the success which is seen is success in the eyes of the children and in the teachers involved. What is missing? The spirit of questioning is unfortunately not present in these fundamental viewpoints. This "success" then allows for

more and more people to legitimize allocating support in the direction of religion. But on the other side of this system is the standardized education. Support is placed in the standardized, secular, unbiased, scientific education method. Success is met here also but in a different sense. Researchers and Developers are produced but are frowned upon for their questioning attitude in this entirely fundamental society. So support still moves toward religion. Both of these loops are turning simultaneously, but one will inevitably beat out the other, especially if this system keeps up in the next 30 years. So what does Appalachia's religious education system have in store? Generations almost devoid of researchers and progress. The younger populous will be taught at home, perhaps on a set

curriculum but with extreme religious bias which is impossible to control. We can not even know for sure how many children are being homeschooled, so how could we regulate, in 30 years, what these central Appalachians are being taught? An educational

collapse would be inevitable.

http://mommylife.net/archives/2009/03/06/homeschooling%20works.jpg

Figure 5.2

Religion: religion and economic situations

How else will Appalachia's future be shaped by religion? Let's take a look at the economic side of Appalachia and how that is related and will inevitably be shaped by religion in the next 30 years. Examining central Appalachian, the income disparity is apparent. But referring back to figure 5.1 we can see that the low income individuals have a much higher percentage of religious among them than the ones in the higher income bracket. Not only that but a higher percentage of low income individuals feel the need to use religion as a buffer against the pain caused by low income. Actually this same concept applies to health issues as well. Once again a very harmful system is in effect here that leads to a dangerous a future scenario that must be taken into account, a fix that fails system. Referring to figure 5.3, problems of economic status or bad health conditions are alleviated by the turning to religion. It seems very simple but can have very dangerous effects if it is left unattended. The quick fix in the balancing loop leads to a snowball effect that adds to the problem, and that is a lack of focus on actual long-term fixes to the economic/health problems at hand, due to the delay that would be present in trying to implement the fix. The delay is what causes the real fix to be

overlooked. As a result, the economic problems worsen, more people turn toward religion as a quick fix, and effects of the aforementioned characteristics of mountain religion are amplified. This speeds up more snowball effects and can lead to collapse in the future Appalachia. So with respect to this system, the Appalachia of 30 years from now will have a much wider income disparity than we could even imagine today, with the periphery only getting stronger. Central Appalachia will continue to put their effort into religion and overlook the true solutions; a fatal error on Appalachia's part. Collapse would come swiftly in the form of zero progress of development and Appalachia would have circles run around it by a new, globalized, technological economy.

Figure 5.3

Religion: income and actual church attendance

Interestingly, something else we can take a look at, in the same vein as the previously discussed collapse, is in figure 5.1 as well. A statistic to notice is that the percentage of low income persons that attend church is actually lower than that of the high income Appalachians. This adds a dynamic that supports the non-denominationalism that will continue to be present in the future of Appalachia. A religion all to it's own, living in fundamentalism and

fatalistic ideas which do not allow the region's people to act progressively and actively to solve problems. They are just going to have too hard of a time getting around the delay present in many of the systems to realize that their problems can be fixed without resorting to the quick fix of looking to a higher power and a life beyond this one.

Religion: religion and coal

along with these two Appalachian drivers, education and Economic problems/health issues, Coal’s relationship with religion must be discussed. As discussed in the rest of the project, mountain top removal is very much disliked by the central Appalachians, but it has not been discussed their feeling towards coal mining itself. Do they find this to be environmentally dangerous? No, the religious conception is held that “ ‘Why did God produce coal then and put it underground?’ said Mr. Caudill, who attends a nondenominational evangelical church. ‘He produced things that we need on this earth. Without coal, you wouldn’t have the warmth and light you have right now.’” (9) This was even found in an article that was against mountain top removal. So as far as environmental collapse goes, mountain top removal is on the way out, but where will Appalachia move after the rest of the United States decides to take up Alternative sources of energy? Due to their idea of fatalism, many times they live, as I’ve said before, not in this world but in the next. With that being said, if we analyze Mr. Caudill’s statement, then why should he be worried about the state of the environment when he can just be nice to other people and look forward to another, better life after this one? After all, God put these resources here on the

Earth for us to use and exploit, but not to destroy the land. So following this model, the Appalachia of 2040 can be analyzed with a specific systems map. Because there isn’t really a system’s archetype described by Senge to fit the Religion and Coal discussion, following is a combination of escalation and fixes that fail systems to create a future system that will be in play if the alternative energies scenario plays out, while the Appalachian people hang on to their fundamental and fatalistic ideas.

• In this system (see Figure 5.4) we find two balancing loops with the US idea of researching alternative energies being much more successful economically than the Appalachian ideas of sticking to coal now that they are no longer being exploited by big companies and they can use their god-given resources to support themselves. Also the US’s implementation of EPA restrictions banning coal mining has threatened to take away ALL coal mining jobs in Appalachia, furthering the schism between Appalachia and the rest of the United States. Appalachia’s ideas result in a lack of income comparably and so cannot support the including of alternative resources into their society. The rest of America will essentially pass up central Appalachia in terms of the environment and technology, widening an already wide gap.

http://www.listicles.com/wp-content/upload/coalmine1.jpg

Figure 5.4

Religion: conclusionAppalachia is on a dangerous slope for the next 30 years.

Religion is a very important support driver in many of these situations described by the collapse scenario. Although

religion may not directly lead to collapse itself, it’s fundamental ideas make a collapse scenario in any of the

other drivers much more likely. What many people are trying to pass off as stereotypes are real problems which will probably never be overcome because of their deep-

seated nature. Hyper-Calvanism, Fundamentalism, Fatalism, and refutation of higher, extra biblical authorities will create a society which rejects ideas that have not developed from their own “Mountain Religion.” How can a society progress

when their most influential ideas do not allow them to examine and question the very systems at play. Appalachia is then doomed to collapse, and certainly perhaps by 2040.

http://thefirstmorning.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/jesus-camp-092706-xlg.jpg

Chapter Five Works Cited

1 - McCauley, Deborah. "Old-Time Religion." Encyclopedia of Appalachia. 2008. University of Tennessee press. Web.29 Apr 2009. <http://utpress.org/Appalachia/EntryDisplay.php?EntryID=013>.

2 - Ibid.3 - Photiadis, John. "Religion in an Appalachian State." Education Resources Information

Center. February 1974. West Virginia University. 29 Apr 2009 <http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/39/b7/54.pdf>.

4 - Williams, John. Appalachia: A History. illustrated. Chapel Hill, NC: UNC press, 2002. Print.

5 - Ibid.6 - McCauley, Deborah. Appalachian Mountain Religion: A history. Hardcover. Urbana, IL:

University of Illinois press, 1995. Print. 7 - Lines, Patricia. "Home instructions: An Overview." Education Resources Information

Center. November 1986. Appalachian Educational Lab. 30 Apr 2009 <http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1d/a7/8b.pdf>.

8 – < http://www.thesouthernbaptistacademy.org/mimi_rothschild.php > 9 - <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/28/us/28mountains.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 >

http://www.thesouthernbaptistacademy.org/mimi_rothschild.php

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/28/us/28mountains.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Chapter 6: Almost Level, West VirginiaBY: ASHLEY MORGAN

Future of Mountain Top Removal

Coal is the number one energy source in the United States producing about

46.61% total of all electricity, as shown on the chart below. (Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook). With mountain top removal or, strip mining, as the main

method of extracting coal to fulfill this dependence, there are many

consequences. (See fig. 1)

Figure 1

First of all it is important to understand what exactly mountaintop removal is

and the process it undergoes that creates an environmental backlash or downfall. The figure 2,below ,depicts the steps of mountaintop removal as

well as effects.

Figure 2

My group and I, otherwise known as group Collapse predict a bleak future if this single strategy of extracting coal is continued along with current federal policies in place. Out of the 49,942,211 short tons of coal produced in the United States in 2005, 93.4 million short tons were produced in Eastern Kentucky and 26.4 million in Western Kentucky. Additionally of the 57

Synfuel plants in the country, 36 are in central Appalachia equaling 54% of the Synfuel market.

Nearly 2/3 of all strip mining is mountaintop removal (see figure 3)(Energy Information Administration, Official Energy Statistics from the Government).

Figure 3

So, while effects are currently being felt by residents and environment of Appalachia, they are only destined to become worse; without change a pitfall is inevitable for the Appalachian Region. Specifically, further effects will be: damage

to natural resources (streams destroyed), hindrance of tourism, and destroy of community history.

Read further for the specific statistics proving these particular predictions. The past is an indicator of the future.

Between 1985 and 2001, approximately 724 miles of streams across Central Appalachia were buried by valley fills. Additionally, a highly toxic chemical, selenium has been found in streams below valley fills which threatens aquatic and human life.

By 2012, without restrictions 6.8 percent of Appalachian forests would be eliminated, while destroying 600 square miles of land and 1000 miles of streams (Federal Environmental Impact Statement on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining).

Therefore, we predict a future hindrance in tourism in the Appalachian region. A specific example of this occurring as we speak is Black Mountain, Kentucky. In 1911 and 1917, towns were built to support coal companies: Wisconsin Steel Division of International Harvester and US Coal and Coke Company, in other words

“coal camps.” In 1945 this was the world’s largest coal camp with a population of 10,000. Now with strip mining as a main source of extraction, the remnants of this are slowly being destroyed. These coal camps have been a key in cultural heritage tourism for the community.

Furthermore, in Blair Mountain, West Virginia the same problems are being felt as a result of mountain top removal. The site of 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain where northern unions attempted to unionize the south remains in West Virginia. Artifacts can still be found in this

zone, however, with a 333 acre mining permit, the battleground is severely threatened as strip mining would knock out a large portion of the battleground. This cultural tourism would be lost as well as several natural resources.

• Secondly, we predict the community history of many communities will be destroyed. We would like to use Walden’s Ridge, Tennessee as a current example.

• (Kentuckians for the Commonwealth: www.kftc.org).

Drivers= The System/Policy Flaws

There are many factors driving this collapse. They all mainly stem from policy, the

system, or in other words…”the man.” First of all the 2008 General Assembly House Bill 164 or (Stream Saver Bill) was blocked the

first time around as well as the second stream saver bill in 2009 House Bill 104.

– (Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky General Assembly Camel Ride Gives Stream Saver a Hearing March 2008)

Furthermore in a recent court case, federal judges ruled in favor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a mountaintop removal mining case. This will allow for 90 new mountaintop removal coal mining operations that have recently been stalled. It will allow operations to take place without minimizing stream destruction. This overturns a prior victory for the Appalachian region in March 2007 where mining companies were found to have violated the Clean Water Act. Moreover, as described by the chart below, lobbying efforts for climate change are not focused on mining and coal, but rather manufacturing, power companies, oil, gas, and transportation. – (Louisville Courier Journal: Breaking News from Appalachia.)

• Furthermore, even though Obama’s administration has reversed some of the Bush administrations’ mistakes on the issue of mountaintop removal, loopholes remain. For example: Massey, the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia has violated the Clean Water Act. They have agreed to pay $20 million in fines, which is unprecedented. Agreement filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, however it must be approved by the court before it becomes final.

• (January 17, 2008. Toxic Spills to Appalachian Waters cost Massey $20 Million).

• Coal is the main producer of energy in the US (46.61%), so as of now there is no alternative or incentive for an alternative.

– (Environmental Protection Agency. www.epa.gov//images/piechart).

• With the statistics mentioned above, our dependence on coal and mountaintop removal is not declining. With the current system and policies in place without lobbying or greater effort for change, collapse is inevitable. We predict no more drinkable water, destroy of community heritage, culture, and tourism as well as economic decline with dependence on one single way of extraction. – See Figure 4, for a comparison of lobbying efforts

by climate sector.

Figure 4

Chapter Six Works Cited*Arch Coal Inc. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Ohio

Valley Environmental Coalition. Natural Resources Defense Council. (Fig. 2)*Citizens’ Coal Council, Hoosier Environmental Council, Clean Air Task Force,

Laid to Waste.*Clean the Air, Power Plant Air Pollution Problem, Fact Sheet.*Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook.*Energy Information Administration, Official Energy Statistics from the

Government*Environmental Protection Agency. www.epa.gov//images/piechart. (Fig. 1)*Kentuckians For the Commonwealth, www.kftc.org.*March 2008. Camel Ride Gives Stream Saver a Hearing Louisville Courier-

Journal.*February 2009. Breaking News From Appalachia. Louisville Courier-Journal.*Federal Environmental Impact Statement on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining*Morgado, Alex. Mountaintop Removal Boom. West Virginia Division of

Environmental Protection. (Fig. 3)*Number of Lobbyist on Climate Center. Workroom.thinkprogress.com

http://www.epa.gov/images/piechart

http://www.kftc.org/

Chapter 7: Clean Coal CleanBY: MEGAN KLEINLINE

The Future Affects of Clean Coal Technology in Appalachia

Clean Coal Technology

Coal has been a staple of the Appalachian economy for over a century, and is by far the most important energy source in the United States today. It has been important for quite some time. Even in the days of the cave man coal was used as a heating source (http://www.fossil.energy.gov). However, coal came into the spotlight during the Industrial revolution in which it was found to be the best fuel with which to produce the massive amounts of energy required to support the new production technologies (http://www.fossil.energy.gov). When coal was found to be able to be used to produce electricity during the 1880's, its utility skyrocketed (http://www.fossil.energy.gov). Coal is burned to produce steam, which turns turbines, producing electricity. It is used so widely in the United States because it is so abundant and it is easily found. A majority of this coal is found in the Appalachian region, and is the mainstay of the Appalachian economy.

Almost ninety two percent of the coal used today in the United States is used to generate electricity, which translates to about one billion tons of coal burned per year, a number which has increased steadily over the past few decades. The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that about half the electricity produced today to power the nation is created by burning coal, with some states, such as Kentucky which is 92.3% powered by coal, relying much more heavily on coal as a power source (http://ucsusa.org). Because electricity is so vital to modern life, the infrastructure that supports its creation is equally as vital, making energy sources a major issue. Coal's abundance makes it easy and efficient to use for electricity production. It is considered consistently available and much cheaper than other fuel sources, and when foreign oil is always a source of trouble for government officials, domestic, highly available energy sources are not easily discarded. See figures 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3.

There are many problems associated with the use of coal as an energy source. It damages the landscape from which it is mined, and then has many long term effects. In the past thirty years, over one million acres of forest have been destroyed as a result of mining efforts, as well as over four hundred mountains that have been blasted by mountaintop removal. This has permanently changed the face of the Appalachian landscape, known for the beauty of its mountains and country sides. Beyond the aesthetic damage coal extraction has had on the Appalachian region, it has also caused the pollution of many streams. Mountain top removal has buried streams, causing flooding and drinking water to be polluted. Further, the sludge that is a byproduct of washing coal of dirt and rock to make it more pure is highly toxic. It is contained in slurry ponds, or dams. However, these ponds have been known to leak to spill, like was seen in the Tennessee Valley Authority spill that occurred in December of 2008, a spill that was called the worst environmental disaster since Chernobyl. If these dams release this toxic sludge, it contaminates the local water, making it unsafe for humans. Spills such as these release humongous levels of carcinogens into the water, exposing the people of the region. This is another danger of coal extraction.

Clean Coal Technology Another dangerous and possibly

more pressing issue with using coal for energy production is the pollution caused by the actual burning of coal to turn the turbines that create electricity for the world. When coal is burned it releases many unintended chemicals contained in the coal into the atmosphere. Sulfur and other particulates are dangerous when released into the air, but the most concerning emission into the air is carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases are responsible for trapping heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming.

Clean coal is a concept that the coal industries have been promoting for many decades. Since the 1980's the U.S. Government has spent billions of dollars on a clean coal initiative in order to try and find a way to reduce the pollution and carbon emissions that are a result of burning coal. This has been done in an attempt to clean up one of the most valuable energy resources so that it will not have to be discarded in favor of human welfare and safety. Coal is never clean in itself. When it is burned, it always emits dangerous chemicals and this cannot be changed. The goal of clean coal technology is to capture these chemicals.

Tennessee Coal Ash SpillSource: http://www.nytimes.com/images/blogs/freakonomics/posts/Spill11.jpg

Clean Coal TechnologyIn the past, the main concern

in cleaning up coal has been the removal of particulates and sulfur due to their dangers in causing acid rain and other sorts of pollution. Coal can be chemically washed or “scrubbed” to remove impurities before it is burned. Coal's gases that result from its burning may also be treated with steam in order to remove the sulfur dioxide from the emissions (http://www.fossil.energy.gov). Coal companies have done much in the past forty years to eliminate these pollutants from the coal burning process. Great advances have been made in cleaning coal of this problem, however, the current trouble with coal lies elsewhere.

The current problem that is facing coal companies is the high levels of carbon dioxide that are produced by the burning of coal. Coal is the fossil fuel that produces the most carbon dioxide of all the fossil fuels when burned, which is serious due to large amounts of coal used to produce

electricity (http://ucsusa.org). Coal companies are attempting to solve this problem through the process of carbon sequestration. This I done by chemically treating and capturing the carbon dioxide emitted and then compressing the captured carbon dioxide into a liquid. The liquid is injected into porous rock layers underground, often in coal streams that cannot be mined. Liquid carbon dioxide can be stored this way for many years, and this process is the coal companies’ best solution to the problem of the large amount of carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning their product (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk).

This solution, however, is not likely to solve the problems caused by coal. The first problem with solving this issue is that coal companies refuse to acknowledge the fact that the carbon dioxide released into the air by coal contributes to global warming (http://thisisreality.org).

Clean Coal TechnologyIf coal company officials cannot recognize the problem, then it will never be solved. This problem has been related to the investigation into big tobacco companies and their claims that nicotine isn’t addictive, or that they were not scientists and could not definitively say whether or not it was addictive. And, of course, it is now known that nicotine in cigarettes is addictive, and measures have been taken to stop America from smoking. The EPA, the authority on environmental pollutants, has even declared carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as pollutants that are dangerous to human health (http://nytimes.com). It seems that global warming is no longer a weak theory, but a real problem. Global warming is a reality that must be faced, and the environment cannot be

salvaged if those in power are in denial about the problem. Secondly, even if the problem is recognized, and an effort to sequester coal to is made, it will most likely not be possible. One ton of coal burned yields 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide, which takes up about 500 cubic meters of space (http://business.theage.com). Considering the millions of tons of coal burned per year, this results in massive amounts of carbon to compress and store. Even if the carbon is compressed many times, it will still require large amounts of space in which to be stored. Finding space in which to store these large amounts of carbon would undoubtedly be difficult. And, transporting the compressed liquid carbon is a treacherous matter, for it must be handled with care.


Further, the effects of burying compressed carbon underground could be damaging. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it can erode minerals and rocks, potentially allowing underground liquid carbon to leak into the ground (http://wiseenergyforvirginia.org). The effects this could have on soil and water is unknown for this is something that has not been done on a realistic scale. If large amounts of carbon escape while stored underground, this could be dangerous to humans, and defeat the original purpose of finding a place for the carbon by allowing it to enter the atmosphere. Additionally, the technique used for storing the carbon underground is mining, which releases carbon into the atmosphere (http://wiseenergyforvirginia.org).

Also, clean coal technology is wildly expensive. Currently, coal burning plants with coal sequestering capabilities have only been accomplished on a small scale, and this is even after billions of dollars of federal government money being put into producing this technology (http://economist.com). Not a single large scale plant exists that captures its carbon dioxide emissions. The recent stimulus package allotted 3.4 billion earmarked for spending on clean coal technology to add to the billions already spent (http://economist.com). The problem lies in the fact that clean coal burning plants are expensive to build and operate. Then, the transporting and storing of carbon is difficult and expensive.

Overall, carbon sequestering is not a reality because coal companies are not willing to take on the costs of this process, and it is terribly inefficient. Coal companies do not feel that it is their responsibility to shoulder the burden of protecting the environment. Despite their large profits per year, they refuse to utilize these profits to clean up coal emissions and potentially save their industry. If the government continues to restrict carbon dioxide emission levels, coal will eventually be eradicated as an energy source. The costs are so high that finding alternative energy sources is a more realistic and cost efficient option. Initiatives to find cleaner sources of energy are already underway, and the government has been looking into wind, solar, water, and nuclear energy to power the world in a cleaner, more eco-friendly way. Because clean coal is not a reality, this could cause a collapse scenario in two ways. First, it would cause an environmental collapse for Appalachia in terms of the pollution and other harmful effects of coal's use as an energy source. The observed clean coal trends indicate that it is not a reality, and that the coal industry has a slim chance of survival due to its high levels of pollution. Second, it would cause an economic collapse for the Appalachian region due to the coal industry's vitality in keeping Appalachia's economy alive. Because the trends indicate that clean coal is too costly, the industry and Appalachia’s economy looks as if it will collapse. The following is an explanation of what could cause this collapse.


The first portion of Appalachia's future that would collapse would be its environment. If coal is still used as the nation’s main energy source, the air, water and land will continue to be polluted. The damage caused by coal mining techniques could essentially ruin the Appalachian landscape, causing it to be a flat, barren land. The flooding caused by mountain top removal's alteration of stream flow would alter the land significantly. Pollutants in the air and water would destroy wildlife and plant life, making the region an ecological wasteland. With the land so destitute, it could become essentially worthless to the Appalachian people. Without sustainable land or clean drinking water, people could not survive, and the area would be abandoned.

Most importantly, it is not clear the effects that carbon dioxide emissions would have on the environment, or what the long term effects of global warming caused by these emissions could do. If carbon dioxide continues to be released into the atmosphere by burning coal, the entire environment could be altered by rising temperatures and countless unforeseeable troubles. This is the main concern with the continuation of burning coal to create electricity. When coal burning for electricity generation makes up the largest portion of contributors to carbon dioxide emissions, this is clearly a large problem. To make the enormity of this issue clear, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a 500 megawatt coal burning power plant in one year is equivalent to that of six hundred thousand cars in the same time span. This is even more immense when the number of coal power plants in the United States alone is considered. If coal use is continued as the major energy source for the United States, it will decimate the Appalachian environment. The government is likely to, in the future, ban coal as a major energy source due it its detrimental effects.

In terms of the economy of Appalachia, coal will likely collapse due to the non reality of clean coal and the growing push to stop greenhouse gas emissions and thus global warming. Because coal is the majority industry keeping Appalachia’s struggling economy afloat, when it fails, Appalachia’s economy does as well. A majority of jobs and money found in the Appalachian region are a result of coal mining and burning. If the EPA cracks down on pollution and, more importantly, carbon emissions, coal will not be able to survive. In 1995 two scholars at Harvard, Sachs and Warner, did a study that found a negative relationship between natural resource based export economies and GDP growth. Appalachia cannot survive on a coal export based economy as it is, and if this last leg of economic support crumbles, the economy is almost nonexistent. Appalachians will lose their jobs and their livelihood. The already low quality of life for Appalachians will be drastically reduced, and the federal government would become less and less willing to aid a region that seems unsalvageable, causing a majority to flee the area. This would a result in a collapse of the region, leaving it as a series of ghost towns.

When coal is found to be too costly for the environment, government funding will be removed from initiatives to clean it up. Regulations will likely be put in place that will cause coal to be unusable as an energy source in order to protect the struggling environment. Because coal will thus die out, other industries will not be able to survive due to a mass migration of coal industry workers to other regions to find other work. The region will be left as a vast, barren land with no economic opportunities, and the only people left behind will be those with no other options. Nothing will be able to save the once majestic land devastated by coal mining and burning’s effects.


In conclusion, clean coal is not a reality for coal plants. Carbon dioxide cannot be efficiently collected and stored.

The federal government will realize that their money is better spent on other cleaner energy sources; sources

which will not require the collection of carbon emissions. Because of this, the sustainability of coal as a major energy source is not possible. In, the future, coal will be forced out

as the number one energy source, leaving Appalachia in the dust.

Chapter Seven Works Cited

"The Costs of Coal." Union of Concerned Scientists. 21 Nov. 2006. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/impacts/the-costs-of-coal.html>.

"A brief history of coal use." Fossil Energy. 9 Oct. 2008. Department of Energy. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/coal/coal_history.html>.

This Is Reality. Weblog. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://thisisreality.org>. Broder, John M. "E.P.A. Clears Way for Greenhouse Gas Rules." The New York Times 17 Apr.

2009. New York Times. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/science/earth/ 18endanger.html?_r=2&ref=earth>.

"The Illusion of Clean Coal." Economist 5 Mar. 2009. Economist.com. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/ displayStory.cfm?story_id=13235041&subjectID=348924&fsrc=nwl>.

"Another Blow Against the House of Cards That Claims Coal Can Be Clean." Wise Energy for Virginia. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://wiseenergyforvirginia.org/2009/03/ another-blow-against-the-house-of-cards-that-claims-coal-can-be-clean/>.

Manning, Paddy. "Coal's Push for Carbon Storage an Impossible Dream." theage.com.au. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://business.theage.com.au/business/ coals-push-for-carbon-storage-an-impossible-dream-20090426-ajed.html>.

Chapter 8: A Dark Cloud Blocks the SunBY: SHEA SHEPPARD

Energy and its Affect on the Future of Appalachia

IntroductionWithin the last century the world has

witnessed an unprecedented expansion in industrialization. As industries grew it soon became apparent that traditional sources of energy (such as water and wind mills, and other forms of mechanical power) could no longer adequately supply the energy necessary for the manufacturing of goods. For that reason, there was an explosion in the use of fossil fuels to fill this new void.

As the demand for fossil fuels rose, areas around the world raced to increase supply. One such area was the Appalachian Mountains, home to one of America’s largest coal seams. Since the turn of the twentieth century the coal industry has provided this region with thousands of jobs, and has brought industrialization to one of the most impoverished regions in the United States. Although seemingly

beneficial, it has become more and more apparent within the last thirty years that coal is creating more problems than benefits. Not only has the advent of strip mining quickly destroyed the land of the region, the nation as a whole has become aware of the large scale impact coal has on the environment. As public opinion on coal has waned, there has been an increase in the popularity of alternative and renewable, sources of energy. Not since the first energy crisis of 1973 has so much investment and research gone into the renewable energy industry, and this time it appears as if the commitment is here to stay.

Introduction

A failure of the Appalachian region to jump on board with renewable energy could create devastating economic and health consequences for the area. For as the rest of the country moves away from coal, demand for the resource will certainly fall. Such a drop would create an economic disaster in Appalachia given the regions extraction based economy. In addition, as the rest of the country enjoys the benefits of cleaner energies, the Appalachian region will continue to feel the poor health effects of burning and mining coal.

Appalachia in Future: The Rest of the United States:

Fig. 8.1 Coal Power plant Fig. 8.2 Bangui Bay Windmills Source: Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/davipt/299545533/ Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/storm-crypt/2280100615/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davipt/299545533/

The Impact of Alternative EnergiesFor a region so heavily dependent on coal it would be an economic

disaster if the United States embraced alternative energies. Thus, we must establish the recent trends in the alternative energy industry to see how likely this is.

To begin it is important to have a clear understanding of what constitutes as alternative energy. The term is difficult to define, since it is often value laden. However, for our own purposes we will stick to the United States’ federal government definition:“The term ‘alternative energy facility’ means a facility for producing electrical or thermal energy if the primary energy source for the facility is not oil, natural gas, coal, or nuclear power.” U.S. Code Title 26, Chapter 29, section 7701

While roughly a dozen forms of alternative energy exist under this definition, for the purpose of this project we will limit the discussion to the three most popular: solar energy, wind energy and geo-thermal energy. By providing an overview of how each one works, and tracking their current trends, we can forecast the potential impact of each.

Solar Energy• Every day the sun radiates enough

energy upon the Earth that if captured, would provide a year’s worth of energy for the entire world. The only problem is that capturing this energy, and transforming it into electricity, is a difficult process.

• Currently photovoltaic (PV) cells are used to capture solar energy and convert it into electricity. A PV cell is essentially a semiconductor, which means that electrons in the material must be stimulated by energy in order to flow. In a PV cell, electrons in the silicon semiconductors are excited by the impact of solar radiation, and thus begin to flow. Eventually these electrons collect in metal strips embedded in the semiconductor and from there move as an electrical current away from the panel and into come electrical storage facility (Simon 43). Fig. 8.3 Solar Panel Diagram

Source: Available at http://www.solarpanels365.com/uploaded_images/how-do-solar-panels-work-778912.jpg

http://www.solarpanels365.com/uploaded_images/how-do-solar-panels-work-778912.jpg

http://www.solarpanels365.com/uploaded_images/how-do-solar-panels-work-778912.jpg

Solar EnergyEfficiency ratings for solar panels have steadily improved

since the 1990s and the prospect for continued improvement in PV cell efficiency remains viable (Simon 91). Current efficiency is at approximately twenty percent, and is expected to max out around thirty percent in the near future. As the panels become more efficient, the economies of solar power will improve, increasing its role in producing energy supplies for the 21st century.

One of the greatest challenges facing solar energy is its large costs. The panels, while always expensive, have actually increased in price as supply has failed to keep up with growing demand. However, with the aid of federal and state programs, the industry has continued to expand.

Fig. 8.4 Solar Panels being installedSource: Available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/briankusler/23331054/

Solar EnergyExamples of government aid include:• The federal Solar Energy Technology Program (STEP) seeks to streamline market

processes to advance solar energy potential in the near future. In addition to coordinating the solar panel industry, STEP has offered resources and financial incentives to promote the use of solar energy. An example of this is their Million Solar Roofs Initiative, which has helped pay for 350,000 solar roof installments since 1997 (Simon 97).

• Several states have also gotten on board, with California leading the way. They lead the nation in purchasing solar energy systems, and now offer property tax incentives to energy producers who use solar power (Simon 97). State involvement has not been limited to the sunny west, however. New Jersey implemented a widely successful rebate system, which initially offered to cover up to 60% of solar panel installation costs. Demand for the rebates became so high that the states was forced to lower the rebate offered, however despite this drop, the program remained quite popular. Today, instead of offering rebates, the state issues credits to solar energy producers, which are worth up to $200 on the Clean Power Market (Simon 46).

• Today, with the help of such government investment and increasing demand, dozens of new solar panel manufacturers are starting up across the United States. Thus if these trends stay on target, the amount of electricity generated by solar power can be expected to grow from 0.1% of the total supply, to perhaps 10%.

Wind Energy

While photovoltaic cells are a relatively new technology, wind power has been around since the Persian Empire (500-900 B.C.) (Simon 46). For centuries these early windmills were mainly used for processing grain corps, but starting in 1888, windmills have been used to generate electricity. The idea didn’t really catch on however, until the 1973 oil embargo. It was at that time the United States, along with other industrial powers, greatly expanded their development of modern wind technology systems.

Wind Energy• Wind power systems have at least

three parts: propeller blades, rotors, and support towers. The rotor is the central feature of the system, containing a system of gears that mechanically increase the rotation speed of the electrical generator. The energy produced by this generator is then transferred onto the electrical grid (Simon 106).

• Wind power has become much more feasible and economical as technological advances have allowed for lighter, and larger blades, and more efficient rotors. In addition to advances in the design of windmills, technology has also improved the process of selecting potential energy sites for wind (Simon 110). If these trends hold the energy output of windmills will vastly increase in the future.

Fig. 8.5 How Wind Power WorksSource: Available at http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/wind-power-horizontal.gif

Wind Energy

As with solar energy the federal government is actively involved in trying to increase the amount of wind energy

being used in the United States.• The most recent development has been the creation of Wind

Power America (WPA), a U.S. Department of Energy renewable energy policy that emerged in 1999. Like STEP, WPA was designed to promote cooperation and collaboration in the energy industry (Simon 114). The implementation of wind energy will be extremely complicated, given that the establishment of wind farm infrastructure, power transmission, and political/public support will all take time. Thus a program like WPA should prove extremely helpful.

• Since the resent oil crisis the future of wind power is again looking up. The federal government recently announced its intention in providing $80 billion in stimulus money to kick start investment in renewable research.

Geothermal Energy

• Although often overshadowed by solar and wind energies, geothermal energy presents great potential in delivering large amounts of clean energy across the globe. Already it’s use is expanding in homes and farms across the country.

• Geothermal energy uses the heat of the Earth to produce energy. The Earth’s mantle is composed of superheated rock and metals that rise in some places through the crust and near groundwater sources. By drilling near these sites this hot water and steam can be extracted and used to operate high-efficiency turbines which create electricity (Simon 51). The water can then be reinjected into the aquifer, close to where it was extracted.

Fig 8.6 How Geothermal Power WorksSource: Available at http://www.greenhabitatdesign.com/Alternative%20Energy%20Geothermal.gif

Geothermal Energy• Currently the largest use of

geothermal energy is found at the residential level. Since the 1970s geothermal heat pumps have become quite popular, and have great potential for reducing thermal heating costs through large scale system design (Simon 125).

• Geothermal energy is also expanding in the agriculture industry. Fish farmers and hydroponic farmers are using geothermal means to heat their greenhouses and fish ponds.

Fig. 8.7 Diagram of Geothermal Heat PumpSource: Available at http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/geothermal-pump.jpg

Geothermal Energy

Once again the Department of Energy is involved in pushing for alternative energy. Their

Geothermal Program involves allocating federal grants for conversion technology, drilling technology, energy systems, exploration

technology, geo-powering the west, geosciences projects, and reservoir technology (Simon 136).

They also offer a Renewable Energy and Production Tax Credit (enacted in 1978) that offers a 10% tax credit for corporations that

“invest in or utilize solar or geothermal energy property in the United States” (Simon 137).

The Future of Alternative Energies

Overall, based on the above trends, it appears as if the future for these alternative energies is quite bright. It is clear the industry is improving, offering us new and better ways to bring us renewable energy. Furthermore, the federal government, and many state governments, have clearly committed themselves to providing a sizable amount of money to help kick start investment, and it appears to be working. Within the last few years a number of the energy firms have started up, and thus in turn the number of people employed by these firms now outnumber the mining industry. Thus in addition to providing safe, and clean, energy the development of such systems will help drive economic development, and bring highly educated people to where they’re manufactured. By sticking to traditional coal mining and coal-fired electricity, the Appalachian region could miss out on these opportunities. Instead of attracting young, educated professionals interested in new and growing fields, they will only see their own brightest minds

continue to leave. A continued brain drain in Appalachia would lead to certain economic collapse, for an absence of local entrepreneurs and investors would force the region to remain an extraction based economy.

Despite these trends, Central Appalachia shows no signs of adopting alternative energies. Instead the region seems to be firmly entrenching itself with the coal industry. Many people in the region claim that coal is vital to the region, and argue that coal is not harming their lives or the environment. While there have been claims that the coal industry is indeed cleaner, the trends so far show that coal extraction, and burning, continues to cause further environmental and health collapse in the region.


• For years the industry has been claiming that an era of clean coal technology is close at hand. In fact, several “clean” practices are already in operation.

• Take, for example, the washing of coal. Before the coal is sent to the power plant to be burned, it must first be taken to a preparation plant where the coal is washed. As the coal is being washed, it is simultaneously ground into smaller pieces to remove unwanted matter, and to make the coal burn more efficiently. The principle benefit of this process is a reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions and higher thermal efficiencies in coal-fired boilers, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions (Couch).

Fig 8.8 Coal Washing DiagramSource: Available at http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41065000/gif/_41065516_coal_washing_416.gif

Truth and Consequences of Clean Coal

• However, what the coal companies fail to mention about this cleaning process is that it leaves behind tons of dirty water that must be stored. Known as coal slurry, this water contains dozens of toxic carcinogens, and is often stored in abandoned mine shafts, or man-made holding ponds. These holding cells are not perfect, and since the 1970s a number of them have failed, resulting in huge environmental disasters. One such accident occurred in 2000 in Martin County, Kentucky.

Fig. 8.9 A scene from Appalshop’s movie Sludge, a documentary about the Martin County spill.Source: Available at http://appalshop.org/newsletter/2008harrimandisaster.php

Truth and Consequences of Clean Coal• Another clean coal technology that is often

mentioned is pollutant scrubbers. These are machines to limit the amount of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulates released into the atmosphere as the coal is burned. While the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide scrubbers appear to operate without drawbacks, the process of removing particulates has shown some major flaws. As with coal slurry, when the particulates are removed from the coal emissions they must be collected and stored in some form. Often this ash is moved through channels of water to an ash pond, where the solids collect at the bottom until the pond if full. Like slurry ponds, sometimes these ponds fail, releasing millions of gallons contaminated water. The most recent disaster occurred on December 22, 2008 at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tennessee. Government officials are now calling it the largest environmental disaster of its kinds, with 5.4 million cubic yards of wet coal ash being spilled. In addition to destroying a nearby neighborhood, much of the ash flowed into the Emory River. A test of this river water showed elevated levels of lead and thallium, both of which can cause

birth defects and nervous and reproductive system disorders (Dewan).

• Furthermore, scientific evidence has shown that coal ash carries high amounts of radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium. Considering that 99% of the ash is normally scrubbed out of the flue air, this radiation is normally not a problem. However, with such a concentrated amount being exposed to the environment in a spill, there is a very high likelihood that the surrounding area will be radioactively contaminated. Thus, the land will prove to be virtually unusable, and unlivable, for years to come (Hvistendahl).

Fig. 8.10 Flooded Home in Harriman, TennesseeSource: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/tennessee-toxic-ash-spill-prevented-fixes-rejected-officials.php

The Future of the Coal Industry

Based on these recent accidents (and the many more not discussed), it can be said that clean coal technologies are not the final solution to coal’s problems. For on its current path, coal is clearly not enriching lives and the environment, instead it is destroying them. While some

of the techniques have proven to be beneficial, they continue to have adverse effects on both the regional

environment and the region’s general health. For years the federal government and the general population have ignored these negative consequences, holding on to the hope that one day coal would be truly clean. While many

in Appalachia continue to have this hope, both the government and the national population have become increasingly aware that coal’s problems are becoming

larger, not smaller.

The Future of the Coal Industry: Increased Government Regulation

For that reason, after years of deregulation and little oversight, the Obama administration has moved to tighten down on the coal industry. If these trends continue the coal industry will be forced to downsize as costs rise. - Since President Obama has taken office the Environmental Protection Agency has issued several proclamations that will likely force the coal industry to undertake drastic changes in their operations.- Most recently the EPA has concluded that carbon dioxide, along with five other greenhouse gases, are indeed a danger to the public’s health and welfare, and thus must be regulated by the federal government under the Clean Air Act (Eilperin).- A month earlier, in March, 2009 the EPA announced that it would begin scrutinize permits for mountain top removal mining, stating that there needed to be more reviews on how the technique affects local streams and wetlands. - Congress is also looking to implement greater environmental standards, and will likely consider imposing an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emission. Furthermore, industries will be given the ability to trade emission allowances to help mitigate the costs of transforming to cleaner energy (Broder).

Making the Connection: How Energy will affect the future of Appalachia

Having laid out many of the current trends in energy, we now must consider how these trends will affect the livelihood of the Appalachian region. In a word, if Appalachia stays on its current path, collapse is an almost certainty. Since Appalachia has focused its economy on the mining, and use, of natural resources, it has become increasingly difficult for the region to break away from them. When its extraction economy was first created, the mining jobs brought high wages and economic stability to the area. Although initially beneficial, these high wages tended to drive out other businesses who couldn’t match the local wage expectations. Furthermore, most mining jobs didn’t require much skill, thus investment in education was minimal.

For these reasons, many Appalachian counties currently find themselves lacking alternative job opportunities as they realize the mining industry is shrinking. The public is slowly moving away from fossil fuels as they recognize their consequences, and become introduced to the better alternatives. The government is following the public’s lead, and is slowly endorsing the alternative fuels, while further regulating the coal industry. Such regulation will certainly cause the coal industry’s operating costs to increase, forcing them to cancel plans of opening new power plants. Already 95 proposed coal-powered plants have been cancelled or postponed in the United States since 2007 (Dorn). Those put on hold have been awaiting the EPA’s ruling on carbon dioxide emissions, and given that ruling, they too will likely be cancelled. If this trend of government regulation continues, then eventually the increased costs of operating will force the coal companies to shut down their smaller mining operations. Only the largest mines will be kept open, and what few jobs remain will probably be mechanized to further lower costs.

Making the ConnectionMeanwhile, the rest of the country will be turning toward

alternative fuels. Already both the United States and the European Union have made it clear that they wish to have at least 20% of their energy provided by alternative sources of power by 2030 (Mouawad). While this goal might be a little farfetched, based on current trends it is entirely possible for that percentage to be reached by 2050 (Wald). As the usage of alternative energies increase around the country, demand for coal will certainly fall, creating only more problems for regions dependent upon coal.

Thus, by 2050 it is entirely possible that the coal industry will only be employing only a few thousand people, many of them in offices. Given the current dependence Central Appalachia has on coal, such a reduction in jobs would lead to a major economic collapse. Those businesses that had catered to mine workers will be forced to close, driving more people away from the region. Those who can afford to leave the region will do so, seeking better economic opportunities elsewhere. Meanwhile, those forced to stay will likely continue to face health risks from the damage the mines left behind.

Final thoughts: The Future is not Set in Stone

Overall, the future of Central Appalachia would be very grim indeed if they stick with the coal industry. This region’s only hope for avoiding collapse is to break away from

its extraction economy. This will require a massive undertaking, but a potential course is already laid out for them, investment in alternative energy. Already it is

clear that the nation is on board with the idea, and thus missing the boat could prove devastating. If the region were to take advantage of the opportunities they have now (existing power infrastructure, prime areas for wind farms) they could reverse their

fates.

Goodbye to this: Hello to this:

Fig. 8.11 Coal power plant Fig. 8.12 Windmill FarmSource: http://coalgossip.wordpress.com/ Source: http://planetsave.com/files/2007/07/wind-farm.jpg

http://coalgossip.wordpress.com/

Chapter Eight Works Cited

Broder, John M. "E.P.A. Clears Way for Greenhouse Gas Rules." New York Times 17 Apr. 2009. New York Times Company. 23 Apr. 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/science/earth/18endanger.html?_r=1&hp>.

Couch, Gordon R. Opportunities for Coal Preparation to Lower Emissions. IEA Coal Research, 2000. Dewan, Shaila. "Tennessee Ash Flood Larger Than Initial Estimate." New York Times 26 Dec. 2008. New York Times

Company. 20 Apr. 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27sludge.html. Dorn, Jonathan G. "Earth Policy Insitute: End of an Era- Closing the Door on Building New Coal-fired Power

Plants in America." Weblog post. Sustainablog. 31 Mar. 2009. 2 Apr. 2009 <http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/31/earth-policy-institute-the-end-of-an-era-closing-the-door-on-building-new-coal-fired-power-plants-in-america>.

Eilperin, Juliet. "EPA Says Emissions Are Threat To Public." Washington Post 18 Apr. 2009. Washington Post

Company. 23 Apr. 2009 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/17/AR2009041701453.html>.

Hvistendahl, Mara. "Coal Ash Is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste." Scientific American 13 Dec. 2007. 20 Apr.

2009 http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste. Mouawad, Jad. "Offshore Wind Gets Major Boost." Weblog post. Green Inc. 22 Apr. 2009. 24 Apr. 2009

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/offshore-wind-gets-major-boost/. Simon, Christopher A. Alternative Energy: Political, Economic, and Social Feasibility. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield,

2007. Wald, Matthew. "Energy Outlook 2050: Lower Carbon, But Not So Renewable." Weblog post. Green Inc. 8 Apr. 2009.

11 Apr. 2009 <http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/energy-outlook-2050-lower-carbon-but-not-so-renewable/>.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27sludge.html

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/offshore-wind-gets-major-boost/

Chapter 9: Choking on CoalBY: CULLEN YOUNGER

The Future of Environmental Legislation in Appalachia

Origins of Mountaintop Removal

Appalachia has long had issue with its environment. Surface mining and processes like it have devastated many a mountain top and ruined many a hill. The Surface and Reclamations Act was passed in 1977.1 This should have improved the environmental situation of Appalachia, but in actuality it only opened the floodgates for a new type of mining.

Mountaintop Removal emerged through a loophole in the Surface and Reclamations Act. Since the practice began, countless mountaintop removal sites have appeared. These sites lay waste to landscapes, pollute air and rivers, and destroy homes. If you were to wreck someone’s house or dump toxic waste into the river, would you not go to jail? The answer is definitely yes. But Mountaintop Removal and other damaging processes still go on today. The laws that regulate these processes are often ignored. New legislation is often shot down or never comes up at all. And even if victories are won, they often are short lived. Only recently, a lower court decision which would have required more extensive environmental reviews of mountaintop removal sites was appealed and overturned by a three judge panel in United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia.2 This court has appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in portions of South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The decision likewise overturned a ruling saying creating ponds in streams to control sediment violated the Clean Water Act.2

If these types of rulings continue to occur, then the

likelihood of new legislation to stop these processes is not good. The Appalachian environment cannot continue to withstand the pounding it is taking from the coal industry. If the mining of coal continues to expand, more land will be required, more land will be destroyed and more of the environment will be polluted. This is surely leading Appalachia to destruction and eventually to collapse.

If current trends continue, collapse is inevitable. If laws continue to allow these processes to go on, there will be little left of the beautiful Appalachian landscape. In West Virginia alone, over three hundred thousand acres of land have received surface mining permits. Less than one percent of mined land is reused for development purposes. 3 Even more shocking, greater than seven percent of Appalachian forests were cut down, and more than twelve thousand miles of streams were buried or polluted between 1985 and 2001.4 If this trend continues a significant source of water will be unusable in Appalachia, and nearly a quarter of its forests will be gone.

MTR Drivers

So what is driving these terrible trends? What factors are pushing Appalachia down the path of destruction? There are several reasons.

First, there is a myth that the coal industry provides a great deal of wealth to the region it is in, as well as

many jobs. However, this is not necessarily true. In the 1950’s the coal industry in West Virginia employed between one hundred and twenty-five thousand and one hundred and forty-five thousand jobs. In 2004, the coal industry employed sixteen thousand, but yet coal production has increased.6 The vast majority of the wealth generated

by the industry goes to a select few while many are left in poverty. McDowell County, West Virginia has produced more coal than any other county in the state.6 Yet the average income for a family in McDowell is $19,931 dollars and thirty-seven percent of residents live in poverty.6

Secondly, coal companies provide money to help get state officials

elected, so that legislation will be friendlier to their operations. In

West Virginia, $1,512,903 dollars were contributed to elections in the state from 1999-2005.7 Former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise received $176,450 dollars from the coal industry for his campaign to office.7 Current Governor Joe Manchin received $208,593!7 Since coal the coal industry has such considerable influence with politicians, there is little incentive to change legislation even if it will better the environment of Appalachia.

Third, Appalachia does not seem to be following the "green" trend other states seem to be following. Especially in coal mining areas, legislation seems to be staying the same, or possibly becoming more anti-environmental.

Finally, there are the rulings and laws which allow these companies to carry out their mining operations with little or no legal resistance. An example would be the earlier mentioned court case which was overturned in the Unite States Circuit Court of Appeals.

Senge’s Shifting the Burden and Appalachian Environmental Law

The situation of environmental law in Appalachia fits perfectly into a system archetype which author Peter Senge refers to as “Shifting the Burden.”17 Before I explain this relationship, it is first necessary to explain first what a system archetype is and secondly what is meant by “Shifting the Burden.” A system archetype is like an overarching pattern which helps us to identify structures which exist in a system. These archetypes suggest that not all problems are unique, but in fact a pattern does exist. They help us to see that simplicities exist under even the most complex of problems, and most importantly help us identify leverage points within a system. In a “Shifting the Burden” archetype, there is an underlying problem which needs immediate attention. But the underlying problem is very difficult to correct, so people use solutions which only seem to solve the problem but actually only put it in the background by alleviating

symptoms. The real problem continues to grow worse, unnoticed due to the lack of symptoms, and the system loses its ability to solve the problem. There is a specific structure which exists in a “Shifting the Burden” archetype. There are two balancing processes which are both trying to correct the same problem. The top loop is representative of the symptomatic solution, the quick and easy solution. The bottom circle has a delay present in it, and it represents a fundamental solution to the problem, one which may take much longer but is also much more effective. There are usually reinforcing side effects as well, which makes it even more difficult to implement the fundamental solution.17 The leverage point in a “Shifting the Burden Scenario” lies in weakening the systematic solution while slowing bringing

in the fundamental solution.

Senge’s Shifting the Burden and Appalachian Environmental LawSo how does this apply to Appalachia? In

Appalachia the problem symptom lies with mining processes. The way in which mining processes are carried out in the region is very destructive and also contaminates the landscape. The Symptomatic solution lies in passing regulatory legislation which is not enforced or is full of exceptions. This creates a side effect. By allowing processes such as mountain top removal to continue and only taking minor steps to stop it (such as creating post-mining lands, passing deceptively harmful legislation etc.), the states are allowing the environment to be further damaged and more land continues to be lost. The fundamental solution lies in the stopping of processes like mountaintop removal all together. The only true way to stop the damage being done to the environment is

to stop these processes all together. Although the processes would be slow, as the state economy cannot immediately turn away from coal, but it would slowly have to phase away from it. It is the only way to ensure we don’t see complete environmental collapse in Appalachia in the future. The leverage point this system lies in phasing out ineffective legislature, strengthening regulations, and slowly bringing an end to these destructive processes once and for all.

Appalachian Environmental Legislation System’s Map ( Figure 9.1)

MTR Legislation

Existing legislature is big contributing problem to the environmental situation in Appalachia. As previously mentioned, there are many laws and rulings on the books which allow these processes to occur. For example, Kentucky administrative regulation 405 KAR 8:050. says that a permit to allow for strip mining will only be given if certain conditions are met, including detailed plans to control for waste and plans for the restoration of the land after the mining operations are completed.7 However, taking a closer look at 405 KAR 20:050 reveals that there are a number of exceptions regarding whether the mining company actually has to return the land to its original contour. 8 One of these exceptions is that the company has

purposed a industrial, commercial, agricultural, residential, or public facility use for the land.8 Another is that the whole upper part of a mountain coal seam is mined and a “gently rolling plateau” is created. 8 This of course is only an excerpt of the exceptions. There are 11 altogether. If laws make it so simple to use mountain removal, and so easy to avoid the work that should be done afterwards, it is no surprise that it is being used so often. Mountaintop removal will continue to ruin the environment of Appalachia until effectively enforced legislation is passed which will hold these coal companies accountable for the damage that they are causing.

New MTR Legislation

Perhaps you may think that these laws are just outdated. Perhaps the legislators of Appalachia are considering sweeping reforms which will save the area from total collapse. But this does not seem to be the case.

Recently in West Virginia House Concurrent Resolution came up in the house. 10 This resolution was in support of a project called the Coal River Wind Project. This project looked to provide an alternative energy source to the mountaintop removal site at Coal River by creating a wind farm. This farm would be able to produce enough energy to power one hundred and fifty thousand homes, create two hundred local employment jobs during construction and fifty permanent jobs.11 This form of energy production is much cleaner giving off nothing toxic to the environment and destroying no land. 11 This sounds like a great advancement for the state; however, this hopeful prospect will not be realized. After reviewing the bill, the house sent it to the Rules committee where it was bottled up. The members of the committee refused to even let it reach the floor.10 While this bill failed, the governor’s so called alternative energy bill continued to move forward. So how can an alternative energy bill possibly be bad? Well, the bill did not actually suggest moving towards alternative energy sources; instead, the bill was fixed to help the coal company. The bill contained three parts. First, the Transmission Line Tax bill would allow the building of more power lines and would help enable the burning of more coal. Second, the Coalfield Community Development bill would promote clean coal plants as a reasonable use for post-mining land. Finally, the Carbon Sequestration Bill would

facilitate the burning of more coal.14 Sadly, it appears legislation is pulling away from environmental concerns, not embracing them.

A very similar situation recently occurred in Tennessee as well. A bill was brought before the legislature which would impose stricter restrictions on mountaintop removal in eastern Tennessee. The bill went to a house subcommittee and was struck down. The vote was three in favor and five opposed. The subcommittee closed for the year after the meeting, allowing no chance for the bill to be revived this year. Although environmentalists argued heavily for the bill, it seems the legislators were influenced by the President of National Coal Company. His statement that the passage of the bill would cause the company to drop thirty-million dollar expansion plan for the state and take its business elsewhere.12 Is money more important than livability in Appalachia’s future? Actions such as these would suggest so. This is a disturbing realization indeed.

MTR Legislation, cont’d-Cullen

One again looking at West Virginia, Senator John Hunter tried to pass a bill which basically would have ended the practice of mountaintop removal by making it illegal to dump excess rock and sediment into streams.13 The bill, of course, did not pass, but what is really shocking to observe is the reaction of those close to the coal industry. The following clip shows reactions of Coal officials and their attorneys at a public hearing concerning the issues surrounding the bill.

Video concerning hearing surrounding purposed bill (View 0- 1:10) 13

Even more disturbing than the lack of action that seems to be present in the higher rungs of Appalachian society is the sense of indifference, and the refusal of some officials to admit that anything is actually wrong. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would delay and review two mountaintop removal permits and investigate hundreds of pending valley fill permits.14 Reactions from coal officials in West Virginia who work closely with legislative officials were shocking. These officials called the Environmental Protection Agency’s reactions too harsh, as well as saying the EPA was just looking for any little detail they could find to pick on the coal industry. Other comments were that “this had come out of nowhere” and the coal industry would “slowly choke to death” without valley fill permits.15

Video of Reactions to EPA announcement (View 00:16-1:06, 1:31-2:10)15

MTR Legislation, cont’d-Cullen

Considering the opinions of these coal officials (whether they were what they or not), and the fact that these people are so closely tied with those working in the legislature, it is no wonder that the environment of Appalachia continues to be ravaged. These officials employ truly believed distractions and other techniques in an attempt to convince people it is necessary, and to keep them from opposing it. You can see in the video clip when Bill Ramey, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, is speaking about new issues brought up by the EPA and he tries to shift the focus to try to convince the public that this new EPA enforcement is bad, even though this is really not the case. He says “If there are new issues, well, let’s look at them, but let’s not keep people from going to work.” There are statistics earlier in this essay which poke a lot of holes in his logic, especially those proving that coal production has increased while mine employment has decreased.

Appalachia is dragging far behind the rest of the nation in terms of implementation of so called “green” laws and other environmentally friendly policies. Just how badly? In 2007, Forbes ranked America’s states on how green that they were. States were measured on various factors including carbon footprint, policies to cut back on emissions and clean up the environment, amount of air pollution etc. Nearly all of the states considered to be part of the Appalachia region fell into the lower half of the ranking, with the big coal producers

being ranked even lower. Tennessee ranked forty third, Kentucky ranked forty fifth, and West Virginia was ranked fifty, dead last. 16 With the recent scares over global warming, many states have taken the initiative to begin to change. States have implemented many policies to cut back on carbon emissions, clean up streams, reduce wastage, and stop big corporations from polluting our water and our land. But in Appalachia things don’t seem to be changing, at least not for the better. Mountaintop removal not only continues to ravage the environment, but actually keeps expanding and engulfing everything which stands in its way. As previously shown, in some Appalachian states even getting a bill passed on the congressional floor that could help with the problem can be a very difficult thing for one to do.

The Future of Appalachia?

So what does the future have in store for Appalachia? Based on the current trends I have identified I can tell you if nothing changes it is going be pretty grim. If what is happening now stays constant, the environmental legislation will only continue to get worse. Because of their considerable influence now, the coal companies and their officials will eventually become the people in the legislature. The political system of Appalachia will become like a dictatorship with coal officials at the helm. With their influence legislation will be tailored to fit the needs of the coal industry and mining processes will continue to expand. Educated people who could have headed movements against these processes will have gone away from Appalachia due to its lack of industry and opportunity. Likewise, the wealthy will move away due to the deteriorating condition of the area. Central Appalachia will be the most populated area, as it has the poorest people and they will be not have means to move. Illegal drugs use in the area will be heavy, because of earlier health care focus on the outer Appalachian regions, not where it was needed. Because of this lack of health care, a large percentage of this population will be wiped out by disease. In sense, the stereotypical poor, dirty hillbilly will have become a reality. But sympathy for Appalachia from the outside will have waned by this point. All small business and entrepreneurships will have ceased to exist. Only major corporate business will be left in the area, and those will slowly fade away as well. Processes like mountaintop removal will continue to expand and the

Appalachian Mountains will mostly be flattened. Water will become so polluted that potable water will become a valued commodity. Air quality will deteriorate due to the ever increasing amount of coal being burned. The aquatic wildlife of Appalachia will be mostly wiped out and other wildlife will have dire problems due to loss of habitat. Although Appalachia will continue to use coal, the rest of the nation will move towards cleaner energy. Since coal will no longer be so highly demanded, jobs in the coal industry will be lost. Appalachia will have few residents left, as it won’t be a very desirable place to live. Those who do remain will have been subject will largely become a dumping ground for the US. And hopefully after its collapse, it will become an example of why strict environmental legislation is important.

The future of the Appalachian Mountains? (Figure 9.2)

The Beautiful Appalachian Mountains18

Do we really want them all to end up this way? If environmental legislation in Appalachia does not change , this is their future.19

A Future Toxic Wasteland? (Figure 9.2)One of the Beautiful Appalachian Rivers20

What mountaintop removal does to a stream. A look into the possible future of the Appalachian Water Supply21

Whatever happened to the fresh, clean mountain air? (Figure 9.2)The Bright Blue Skies of Appalachia22

The effects of the Air pollution given off by coal burning power plants23

Endangered Appalachian Animals? (Figure 9.2)Processes like Mountaintop removal are a threat to both Land 24

…And Aquatic Animals in Appalachia 25

MTR Conclusion

Appalachia is currently on the path for disaster. If the pattern of legislation continues in the direction it

is currently going, then the only future for Appalachia lies in ruin or in total collapse. With

economic and social problems, there is always time to correct for error. But concerning the environment,

we only have one chance. Once it has been destroyed, we cannot get it back. A decisive change

must occur in the minds of the legislators. Coal cannot rule state governments. The people must press for change. Without change, Appalachia’s

future is looking pretty dark.

Chapter Nine Works Cited

1. Ronald , Eller. Uneven Ground. 2008. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press, 2008. Print. 2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/13/court-rules-in-favor-of-m_n_166856.html 3. http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/mtr/myths_and_facts/ 4. http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/mtr/environmental_impacts/ 5. http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/site/air_overview/ 6. http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/mtr/economics/7. https://www.policyarchive.org/bitstream/handle/10207/5835/200606011.pdf?sequence=1 8. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/405/008/050.htm 9. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/405/020/050.htm 10. http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/04/10/wva-house-leaders-lets-not-talk-about-wind-vs-coal/ 11. http://www.coalriverwind.org/ 12. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/02/legislators-kill-bill-stop-mountain-top-removal-co/ 13. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36IpeUknnIE 14. http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/OpEdCommentaries/200903215. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiKxSlxN1AA 16.

http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/16/environment-energy-vermont-biz-beltway-cx_bw_mm_1017greenstates.html

17. Senge, Peter. The Fifth Discipline . 2nd. Random House, 2006. Print. 18. http://www.bethechangeinc.org/changewire/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/mtn.jpg 19. http://www.reynoldsrap.com/photogallery/Calvary/Mountain%20Top%20View.jpg 20. http://www.fws.gov/southeast/climate/images/Appalachian%20River.jpg 21. http://www.bankstreet.edu/images/ce/3.jpg 22. http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1015/623103071_d8a510ab6d.jpg?v=023.http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/green/2008/08/28/coal_power_plant350x323.jpg 24. http://www.cameohoa.org/images/deer.jpg 25. http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/images/jpegs/appalachia.jpg

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/13/court-rules-in-favor-of-m_n_166856.html

http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/mtr/myths_and_facts/

http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/mtr/environmental_impacts/

http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/site/air_overview/

https://www.policyarchive.org/bitstream/handle/10207/5835/200606011.pdf?sequence=1

http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/405/008/050.htm

http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/405/020/050.htm

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/04/10/wva-house-leaders-lets-not-talk-about-wind-vs-coal/

http://www.coalriverwind.org/

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/02/legislators-kill-bill-stop-mountain-top-removal-co/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36IpeUknnIE

http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/OpEdCommentaries/200903280393

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiKxSlxN1AA



http://www.bethechangeinc.org/changewire/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/mtn.jpg

http://www.bankstreet.edu/images/ce/3.jpg

http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/green/2008/08/28/coal_power_plant350x323.jpg







Chapter 10: Smiley Faces of DoomBY: JOSH TAYREE

Future of Entrepreneurship in Appalachia

Entrepreneurial Collapse: Introduction Small, homegrown businesses play an important

role in creating self-sustaining local economies and improving the quality of life in Appalachia” (1). The words ring out from the website of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. For the ARC, and other community organizations throughout central Appalachia, Entrepreneurship must play a central role in the local economy if Appalachia is to become a thriving, autonomous region and surmount the poverty and vast unemployment that have for so long impeded significant progress in the area. According to Cognetics, a research firm specializing in entrepreneurship, small businesses were responsible for almost 84 percent of the jobs created between

1992 and 1996 and were responsible for 87 percent of the new high wage jobs, those that pay $29,191 or more (2). Melissa Taylor, of the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center (KLTPRC) writes bluntly that “Entrepreneurship should be a vital component of any economic development strategy” (3). It is safe to say, then,

that as goes entrepreneurship in Appalachia, so goes the economic future, and ultimately the comprehensive future of the region. However, as has been the case in much of the history of these and other organizations aimed at revitalizing Appalachia, there is a great schism between what is understood to be best for the region, and what actually takes place.

Entrepreneurial Collapse: History The need for entrepreneurial diversity in Appalachia

is not a new one. Coal camps, which date all the way back to the latter half of the nineteenth century seized upon an opportunity to create local economies which were controlled entirely by the corporation. William Graebner, of the American Organization of Historians refers to this as a “One crop economy” (4). Mine operators “discouraged other economic activity that might provide alternative employment and possibly a more benign business model,” (5) Graebner goes on to write. That is to say, coal camps, as they moved in to small Appalachian communities, not only moved in and dominated the industrial sector, but also created and dictated a local economy which was far less than welcoming to the entrance of (other) entrepreneurs. Graebner describes the Coal Company Camp as the

“Total frame of reference” (6) for the miner. Little was known outside the sphere of the camp. Citizens of a coal camp in Wise County, Virginia recall life in company-maintained coal camp houses: “Housing was owned by the coal company, which charged the miner rent to live there, and also required utility payments be made directly to the coal company” (7).

A store called a “Commissary” was set up in this, and most local communities. At the Commissary, a type of General store, miners and their family members could purchase food, supplies, and other necessities. While many members of these communities found the Commissary to be a great benefit, upon further review we can see the cold-hearted capitalism involved and the firm hold the coal companies had on the miners and families, as well as the entire community

The “Payroll office” at the camp kept track of the wages paid to the miner. Deductions were taken out for rent, utilities, doctor’s services and other community fees (i.e. company-provided housing for the doctor, minister, and company officials as well as other company expenses which miners ultimately bore the burden for). In many instances, the balance of the miner’s “pay” was simply credited to the Commissary, the only place the remaining wages could be spent. In this sense, Coal companies created throughout America, but principally in Central Appalachia, “circular economies.” These circular economies exploited the miners, forcing them to work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions for what was in many cases negligible pay. While there was initial expense for the companies to build mines, roads, homes, stores, etc., this was paid by charging rent to the miners, rent which continued to provide income for the mine companies after the cost of construction was paid off. By building a commissary in the camps where miners could spend their remaining “wages” coal companies were able to give the illusion of economic independence, when in fact they were manipulating the personal finances of their employees. As money rarely entered the hand of the miner (and if it did, it was usually a ‘scrip’, a company-developed currency worthless outside the camp) the coal company continued to profit while many Appalachian miners were happy just to “get by.” Graebner writes “Mining villages were

occupational communities. They existed only to meet the needs of the town’s employer, the mine. Many ‘camps’ were totalitarian societies molded by the mine operator to his goal of making a profit from his investment” (8).

Consider this 1853 Report to Cumberland Coal and Iron Stock Company:

“There have been erected on the land of the company 152 dwelling-houses for miners; two churches, one of stone; one large brick schoolhouse; a handsome stone dwelling and outhouses, for the residence of the engineer; 6 large stables, 3 granaries, 1 large machine shop, 5 blacksmith shops, 6 offices, 1 large stone house, 1 large lumber house, 2 engine houses, 5 weigh houses” (9).

The company owned every building in the camp! Perhaps reporter Wythrop Lane, writing

during a 1920s West Virginia strike best summed up the coal camp system set up by

the companies:“The operators are in the position

of power. Their power comes chiefly from their ownership of

property…The operators are not only the miners employer; they

are his landlord, his merchant, the provider of his amusements, the

sanitary officer of the town, sometimes the source of his police

protection and the patron of his physician, his minister, and his

school teacher. It is paternalistic, in some ways a feudal

civilization.” (10).

However, it is integral to note that not only were local miners affected by the mine companies’ stranglehold on the local economy, but local entrepreneurs were influenced as well. With the coal company’s management of the local economy, it was nearly impossible, especially in the early years of coal camps, for an entrepreneur to enter and be successful in the local economy. With a tightly controlled economy, based around a rigid class structure (As managers and company officials, as well as professionals such as doctors

lived away from the lowly “camp houses” of the miners) entry into the system was difficult, and success even more so. For nearly a century in some areas company stores and company manipulated economies while miners, their families, and the better part of the community lived week-to-week, hoping to work enough to make a payment on his company debts, never receiving money to save or contribute to any personal endeavors.

As has been the case throughout the history of coal mining Appalachia, the market wavered. As the absentee owners and stockholders extracted as much “black” gold as possible from the region, they eventually saw decreasing profits, and many of these companies moved out of the region, or developed new mines in the communities. Coal camps remained (as they do to this day in most cases) with the companies eventually selling the homes and other buildings to local residents. With coal camps a thing of the past, residents of Appalachia were left to develop a lifestyle with much more “independence” than they had known in coal camps. Local business sprung up and as the rest of America thrived in the 1950s, many small Appalachian towns began to see a period of economic progress. Main

streets in these towns were lined with businesses and with people spending money to buy, eat, and be entertained. For those who could afford the initial investment, it was a brief period of entrepreneurial entry in Appalachia. (It is important to note, however, that Appalachia has never been a region thriving with full economic progress. While the middle of the twentieth century brought a visible difference from the previous century under coal camp control, a widening gap could also be seen between the controlling elite who often owned many of the businesses and the working poor who continued to strive simply for survival.)

Passing the torch

Yet as one domineering economic power (the coal camp) was phasing out of the region another future superpower was just getting its start outside the region in Arkansas. Wal-Mart, born in 1962 and owned by entrepreneur Sam Walton, has in the eyes of many taken the place of the coal camp and continued to trend of economic domination by an absentee

owner. (This phenomenon is being seen across America, not just in Appalachia, and has accordingly seen a great deal more press.) The following video provides a visual illustration for the spread of Wal-Mart over the past 47 years. Notice the concentration of “green” representing Wal-Mart stores in the eastern United states and specifically the central Appalachian region.

Wal-Mart stores entered the economies of much of America with a resounding thud. Yet, nowhere was the impact of the chain store’s entrance into the local economy felt more heavily than in Appalachia. Just as so-called “Mom and Pop Stores” were making headway in their communities, Wal-Mart stores began to enter and throughout the next forty years went on to crush the hopes and dreams of many small-time entrepreneurs.

The “First Wave” of Walmartization filled the region with stores providing an

assortment of needs. As Wal-Mart stores entered the region and were able to provide cheaper clothing, electronics, and necessities than local businesses, they quickly began to steal away their clientele. During this first wave, many local businesses closed, and those that remained often found themselves mired in significant financial turmoil which would be nearly impossible to recover from.

However, it was simply not enough for Wal-Mart to enter the region. The goal of the corporation was to systematically push other businesses out of the local economy, even building stores close enough to one another that they competed against themselves (11). Their sole goal was to push everyone else out of the economy. With this accomplished to an acceptable degree, Wal-Mart was then able to close the excess stores and cut the workforce, leaving many Appalachian towns with a double loss in employment.

One observer described this Wal-Mart Phenomenon: People are surprised that Wal-

Mart would even want to locate a store at Ashland, with

another one 10 miles away. But that's part of the Wal-Mart saturation strategy. They place their stores so close together that they become their own

competition. Once everybody else is wiped out, then they're free to thin out their stores.

Wal-Mart has 390 empty stores on the market today. This is a company that has changed

stores as casually as you and I change shoes.

-Al Norman, Sprawl Busters(12)

If the “First wave” of Walmartization was bad for local entrepreneurs, The “Second wave” of Walmartization was ghastly. While the original Wal-Mart stores entered local communities with a variety of goods offered, when these original stores began being replaced by “Supercenter Wal-Marts” they truly became “one-stop shops.

These new Wal-Mart Supercenters serve as: clothing stores, drugstores and pharmacies, electronics stores, jewelry stores, grocery stores, auto stores and garages, home repair stores, shoe stores, office

supply stores, delicatessens, optometrist offices, hair and nail salons, photo studios, gas stations, and many, many other businesses – all housed under one roof! In Whitesburg, KY (Letcher County), for example, the last ten years have seen the closing of Dawahare’s, a family clothing store founded in the county, a Jewelry store, numerous restaurants and gas stations, a local drugstore, as well as the better half of the stores located on the “Main Street Strip.” To be sure, Wal-Mart is having an impact on countless Appalachian communities like Whitesburg.

Yet, the iniquities of Wal-Mart do not stop there. While the coal companies were strong anti-union campaigners in the

first half of the 20th century, Wal-Mart has taken on that mantra and made it a part of company policy into the 21st

century. Take for example this training video from the 1990s on unions:

While there are no instances like that of Bloody Harlan in the 1920s – 1940s when coal bosses and local elites (through police control) suppressed union organization, Wal-Mart has done its part to smother low-wage workers’ chances of uniting to demand better pay, benefits, and treatment. Wal-Mart has instead

implemented what it calls its “Open Door Policy” which invites workers to share their opinions and findings with supervisors who are supposed to always have an “open door.” One Wal-Mart employee shares the viability of this program which was token at best:

The open door policy is supposed to be so that

you can complain to higher managers if you

have a problem with one of the lower managers.

The associates joke sometimes that the open door policy is really the "open your mouth and

they'll show you the door policy." For example, this guy who worked in the parking lot at our store, when it got hot in the summer, he wanted to

transfer inside and when he used the open door

policy, they showed him the door. They fired him”

(13).

Even expression of the arts has been censored by this mega-store based in the Bible Belt state of Arkansas. A PBS Report states: “[Wal Mart] refuse[s] to carry CDs with cover art or lyrics deemed overtly sexual or dealing with topics such as abortion, homosexuality or Satanism” (14). Thus,

in their attempt to promote explicitly conservative values not held in many cases by the majority of Americans, Wal Mart is contributing to the cultural homogeneity of Appalachia by explicitly limiting their exposure to other cultures, viewpoints, and ideas.

The FutureAs Appalachia moves forward (at least chronologically), the impact of entrepreneurial suppression, first by Big Coal through Coal Camps, and now through megastores such as Wal-Mart has left a lasting and far-reaching impact.

Thirty years from now, Appalachia will be a barren land because of uncontrolled environmental degradation. Culturally, the region will be almost exclusively separated from the rest of the United States because of both increased perpetuation of the Appalachian stereotype and through increased corporate censorship from the Wal-Mart corporation. The economy will lay in shambles. Only three main employers

will remain in the region: the government (strapped because of a decreasing tax base and depleted population), healthcare companies (employing mainly “brain drain” professionals from other countries as Americans are apprehensive about entering the region), and Mega-corporations, such as Wal-Mart. Local entrepreneurs will be non-existent as the cost of acquiring goods became unreachable compared with the vast resources of the Wal-Mart corporation. Wal-Mart will become the “new coal camp”, restricting local residents through low-paying jobs, entrepreneurial restriction, and union opposition.

Chapter Ten Works Cited1.) ARC Entrepreneurship Initiative; http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=192.) Mike McNamee, "Good News from Small Biz," Business Week 1 Sept. 1997: 24.;

http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1997/b3542071.arc.htm3.) KLTPRC – Promoting Entrepreneurship in Central Appalachia;

http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_9.htm4.) William Graebner, “Fire in the Hole: Miners and Managers in the American Coal Industry”

University Press of Kentucky, 19855.) Ibid6.) Ibid7.) “The Coal Camps” from The Heritage of Wise County and the City of Norton – Volume I,

compiled by Wayne Duncan http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~duncanrw/coal_overview.html

8.)Graebner, op cit.9.) Ibid10.)Ibid11.)“Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town,” – PBS http://

www.pbs.org/itvs/storewars/stores3.html12.)ibid13.)ibid14.)ibid

http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=19

http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1997/b3542071.arc.htm

http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_9.htm

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~duncanrw/coal_overview.html

http://www.pbs.org/itvs/storewars/stores3.html



Chapter 11: The Final CountdownBY: BLAKE GERUGHTY

Forecasting the Future

Central Appalachia: 2020

We see Appalachia collapsing by 2040. Collapse happens when a system cannot sustain itself. There are many drivers that cause trends to make us believe this. The fields we have looked at in-depth are education, internet connectivity, entrepreneurship, mountaintop removal, alternative energy, economics, poverty, stereotypes, illegal drugs, religion, socioeconomic, political corruption, and environmental degradation. The trends that are shown in these fields will lead to Appalachia’s collapse by 2040. We are going to look at Appalachia as we see it in 2020, 2030, and 2040.

In 2020 we forecast that Appalachia will be closer to collapse then wetoday. In education we are seeing Appalachia lose more college graduates then they are retaining. By 2020 we see this trend still increasing and Appalachia become less educated and having fewer jobs that require a college degree,therefore limiting diverse job opportunities.

The college students that are leaving the region are

beginning to see that there is a better life out there for them, but there is still a minority returning to the region. With the return rate of college graduates dwindling and having a less educated, undertrained workforce, new businesses that may have once thought about locating a plant in the region are choosing not to do so. As this trend continues the region will be devastated by collapse.

The economy in 2020 is also beginning to start a downward spiral. No new businesses want to expand into the region because of the uneducated workforce. Wal-Mart has stores in the region that are undercutting the prices of local independent or “mom and pop” stores, making it hard for them to stay afloat. The internet boom has also taken its toll on the region with people choosing to stay at home and buy their things instead of purchasing items locally. We see mom and pop stores starting to close down because these two factors have forced them to that point. Both of these aspects are taking money out of the region instead of reinvesting in it. The economy is slowly becoming stagnant and the future is looking bleak.

Central Appalachia: 2020The country is beginning to use alternative energy sources, which is cutting back on coal exports from the region. Coal companies begin cutting back on their workforce; for many Appalachians this means they are out of jobs and lack the education or opportunity to obtain another one. Unemployment and poverty in the region will continue to grow, making their already high rates even more problematic. Appalachia does not know how to survive without coal and the economy will start dwindling unless it can replace the amount of money coal brought in with new industries.

Coal companies are still using mountaintop removal to excavate coal and in turn flattening mountains, polluting streams, and damaging house foundations. In 2020 there are still mountains in central Appalachia, which will not be there if this trend continues. Pollution from mining waste and slurry ponds have reached just a few water sources and

contaminated them but most people can still use their wells for drinking water. Some houses in the region have been damaged by blasting used in mountaintop removal, the

region as a whole is still habitable, but it is heading toward disintegration.

We see in 2020 that illegal drug usage is on the rise because people are resorting to this to handle their problems, like unemployment and health issues Methamphetamine manufacturing and use is on the rise, as is use of pain killers and anti-anxiety medicines. People are becoming addicted physically and psychologically. As more and more people are turning to this so called solution, the health of the region will continue to worsen and slowly push it into a collapse scenario.

The political structure that we envision in 2020 is one that still has democracy but is slowly moving to a dictatorship. The

educated elites in the region have created a more oppressive form of

government that they can control politics and begin using government aid to

benefit themselves, instead of the region collectively. With aspects of a

dictatorship starting to come to the fore front, we know that it will not be long

before the region has many facets of a third world county.

With all of these trends persisting, collapse is an

inevitable ending.

Central Appalachia: 2030We next forecast Appalachia,

in the year 2030.

Appalachia is still hanging in there, but the trends are pushing closer and closer to complete collapse. The return rate of college graduates is diminishing and the percent of college degree holders in the population is nearing zero. Now we see the region as having a very drab future turning to reality.

In the economic sector, Appalachia is continuing its downward spiral. Only about a dozen local mom and pop stores remain in each Central Appalachian state. Wal-Mart continues their profits as competition disappears.There is little money in the region for residents to spend causing the citizens to have limited purchasing power. If something

does not happen soon the economy will break down.

The federal government is pushing the nation to cleaner, renewable resources and coal exports are a fraction of the several thousand tons they produced in 2007. Many coal companies have completely shut down and left Appalachians jobless and searching for new means of employment. There are still companies employing a few people, but unemployment and poverty in the region has increased significantly in the past decade. If Appalachia does not hurry and get on the alternative energy bandwagon with the rest of the nation then it will soon be in ruins.

Central Appalachia: 2030Mountaintop removal has devastated the region. Slurry ponds and other toxins from mining have tainted almost all water sources. It will be about a century before the topsoil can even come close to its original health and fertility. This leaves Appalachians wondering how to survive with a lack of usable water. More houses have been destroyed from mining blasts, with very few that are even livable now.

Illegal drug use is still on the rise in the region with even more people turning to this answer for their problems. Drug use becomes more prevalence in the schools, which increases the drop-out rate. Pharmacies see more prescriptions for pain killers and anti-anxiety pills than they ever have before and the health of the region enters danger conditions.

Dictatorship almost has a complete death grip on the region in 2030. The elites have almost completely played the system in their favor. The region is still having elections, which is the only element of a democracy that is left.

We forecast that that as these trends carry on they will push Appalachia to complete collapse in the next ten years. Appalachia will not survive unless it takes drastic measures and makes an 180o turnaround, but we believe that is has sunk too far into the depths of collapse to make a change. By 2040 it will just be a dumping field for the rest of the nation.

In 2040, Appalachia will be essentially non-existent. We see all of our aforementioned trends explode and Appalachia as a whole mirrors the third-world countries of Africa. All of the college bound kids have left the region, without any thought of returning. There is no reason for an educated college kid to come back to a region that lacks the resources, jobs, environment they need to succeed, or even live.

Without educated people this region has no hope of ever surviving. Lacking the return of college degree holders, the region will have to make sacrifices in many areas, with one of these being losing teachers to retirement without having any to replace them. This leads to consolidation of schools, leaving many children. Another sacrifice is the evaporation of Central Appalachia’s tax base. The higher educated population would be the population that had money to be spend and pay income tax, but because they are gone and everyone else lives below the American

poverty level, there is little in the way of local government money.

Mass consolidation of k-12 schools has taken hold. There is no more than one k-12 school in each Central Appalachian county, but it is not uncommon for two or three counties to share one school. Students and families have to commute up to two hours to get an education. Many students are dropping out because they do not have the time or resources to make this commute which inhibits them from even having the chance to attend college. The few parents that care about a formal education may decide to home school their children instead of having them make the commute. These parents may have the passion to teach their children but they are not qualified and do not have the resources, so this sets up their child to fail in a college atmosphere. So, just like a third world country Appalachia lacks educated people to lead them out of the black hole that they are entering.


An example of college graduates that will not be returning to Appalachia:

http://fp.academic.venturacollege.edu/womensbasketball/Artwork/07_Grads.jpg Figure 11.1

http://fp.academic.venturacollege.edu/womensbasketball/Artwork/07_Grads.jpg

http://fp.academic.venturacollege.edu/womensbasketball/Artwork/07_Grads.jpg

The economy of Appalachia also mirrors that of a third world country. All of the educated people that would help the economy thrive have left leaving the region in a downward spiral of economic depression that it may never overcome. The Appalachian internet boom was a big factor, everyone found it more convenient to sit at home and surf the internet for the goods they wanted or needed, but they were spending money they didn’t have. They were trying to fit into what they stood to be a true American culture.

They did not consider that the money that they spent on the internet did not come back in the form of taxes to help their region. It also took money out of their local economy and sent it all over the world. Now they are suffering the consequences of this action, every mom and pop store has closed down and they have put fellow Appalachians out of jobs. With these stores closed there is no chance of people being able to make money and of course, spend money that the community needs, and this continues the downward spiral they are in.

With all of the country using alternative energy by 2040 Appalachia’s coal exports suffer. The country has turned to cleaner, cheaper, renewable energy, leaving coal out of this equation. Appalachia has relied on coal for many years and with the country turning to alternative energy they lose their number one export. Coal companies will be nonexistent and so will the thousands of jobs many Appalachians rely on. With these jobs gone Appalachian unemployment will increase exponentially, as will poverty in the region. Central Appalachia will have the highest poverty rates in the country and will even surpass poverty rates of developing countries like South Africa. This will push them to third-world country status. With no coal industry and all of the mom and pop stores closing an Appalachian economy will be absent. Government assistance will be the only lifeline for the few residents that are still surviving in this region, and now that the Appalachian stereotype is so widely believed as fact, the federal government is hesitant to waste money on a “lost cause.”


What we forecast Appalachia’s economy to look like by 2040.

Figure 11.2

Sources of Alternative Energy that the US will be using instead of coal in 2040

http://www.power-talk.net/images/alternative-energy-22.jpg

http://www.greenprogress.com/images/alternative-energy-3.jpg

http://hidden-technology.org/images/pics%20for%20site/NY_Hydro_Electric_Plant.JPG

Figure 11.3

Figure 11.4

Figure 11.5

In 2040 we picture Appalachia as being a practically level and unusable land. The mountaintop removal trend pushes us to trust this forecast. As mountaintop removal continues we will see a complete region of the United States as uninhabitable. The beautiful mountains of the region will all be flattened because of greedy coal companies looking to make a dollar. The Appalachian Mountain range will run from northern Georgia to southern Tennessee, then there will be a break in the chain with the mountains picking back up in southern Pennsylvania and continue to Maine.

Some of you might think that you can reclaim the land that is left over from mountaintop removal, but you cannot. The soil will be too ravaged and toxic to sustain any sort of life, not to mention the water in the region. Water will be contaminated by the toxins from mining equipment, slurry spills, and waste that the coal companies have pushed into streams over the years. Slurry ponds will also allow toxins to seep into the ground infecting well water and other water sources for the region. Water in the region will not be potable and will deteriorate the health of the inhabitants left in the region. Residents that are left will have to filter or boil water for daily use. The blasting from mountaintop removal has also damaged many foundations in the region beyond repair. Many of these houses are not fit to live in and could collapse (like the region) on their residents. The region will look like a flat, barren, third world country.

The residents of the region will be so traumatized by what they have lived through that they will turn to illegal drug usage to remedy their problems. Methamphetamine manufacturing and use will be rampant throughout the region, as will prescription drug use. We see pharmacies filling more prescriptions for pain killers and anti-anxiety pill because people that have prescriptions are selling them to the ones that cannot get the prescriptions. Since the economy has become absent and most people have lost their jobs this is the only way that they find feasible to make money. These drugs are highly addictive and the people that are hooked on them will do anything to get them. The state and federal government will then have to pour more money into the region to try and combat this epidemic and the region will become a further burden.


What Central Appalachia will look like in 2040

http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/mountaintop_removal/007/29a.jpg

Figure 11.6

What little political structure that is left in Appalachia will be extremely corrupt. The few educated people will know how to work the system to get the government money to benefit them instead of actually helping the region. The rich will be getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. They will also have a strangle hold on the political scene. The rich are the ones in politics and they are in it for the money. These people will drive Appalachia to a dictatorship by doing what they want and not what is good for the region.

Elites are dominating politics because they have money and there is no longer democracy. Without democracy the region’s political structure will also resemble that of a third world country. Even most developing third world countries have some form of democracy.

Our scenario for Appalachia in 2040 is at collapse. There will be many developing, third-world countries ahead of Appalachia in several areas. College graduates, mom and pop stores, and an economy will be non-existent in Appalachia. Coal will no longer be the chosen energy source of the United States and coal will be no longer mined in Appalachia, like there will be any left to mine. The Central Appalachian Mountains will be level and that ground will not be able to sustain life. Blasts from mountaintop removal have damaged many homes beyond repair. Slurry ponds and spills have ruined water sources for the region. Drug usage will be extensive and crime rates will rise from addicts struggling to get more and the region will be under dictator rule instead of having a democracy.


Elites leading Appalachia to collapse

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin

http://www.wvdjs.state.wv.us/Portals/0/JoeManchin.jpg

Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY 5th district)

http://newsinitiative.org/media/2/image/hal_rogers_parkway.jpg

Figure 11.7

Figure 11.8

Timeline of Appalachian

Collapse

Present-the region as we see it today

2020•losing more college graduates than they are retaining•no new businesses expanding into the region•mom and pop stores beginning to close•U.S.A. turning to alternative energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal

• coal companies begin downsizing• unemployment and poverty on the

rise•coal is still being removed by mountaintop removal•House’s and infrastructure’s foundations are damaged, few streams polluted, and hundreds of mountains leveled•residents turning to illegal drug use•democracy dwindling with elements of dictatorship taking hold

2030•less college graduates returning than before•almost all mom and pop stores closed•Wal-Mart pushes out competition•federal government pushing harder for alternative energy

• Limits demands of coal• coal exports almost

non-existent•more houses are being destroyed by blasting•almost all water is toxic and undrinkable•more residents resorting to illegal drugs•dictatorship has taken a stronger hold with few aspects of democracy left

2040•Appalachia has become a third -world region

• there are no college graduates returning

• all mom and pop stores are closed • economy will be completely absent

•US has turned completely to alternative energy

• US will no longer need coal•Central Appalachian Mountains will be completely flattened because they continued to mine as people turned to new energy resources•All houses and infrastructures are damaged beyond repair, the lucky people

live in trailers•Slurry ponds and spills have ruined all water sources with no usable water in the region

• Water has to be shipped in

•Illegal drug usage will be rampant and affect everyone’s lives in some way

• Strong presence in schools too•Dictatorship is the only political structure in the region•Pandemic can easily wipe out much of the region•Schools take hours to get to for the majority of people and are not really beneficial

Figure 11.9