Bringing Down the Mountains: the Impact of Moutaintop Removal Surface Coal Mining on Southern West Virginia Communities

West Virginia and Appalachia

by Shirley Stewart Burns

Coal is West Virginia’s bread and butter. For more than a century, West Virginia has answered the energy call of the nation—and the world—by mining and exporting its coal. In 2004, West Virginia’s coal industry provided almost forty thousand jobs directly related to coal, and it contributed $3.5 billion to the state’s gross annual product. And in the same year, West Virginia led the nation in coal exports, shipping over 50 million tons of coal to twenty-three countries. Coal has made millionaires of some and paupers of many. For generations of honest, hard-working West Virginians, coal has put food on tables, built homes, and sent students to college. But coal has also maimed, debilitated, and killed.

Bringing Down the Mountains provides insight into how mountaintop removal has affected the people and the land of southern West Virginia. It examines the mechanization of the mining industry and the power relationships between coal interests, politicians, and the average citizen. Shirley Stewart Burns holds a BS in news-editorial journalism, a master’s degree in social work, and a PhD in history with an Appalachian focus, from West Virginia University. A native of Wyoming County in the southern West Virginia coalfields and the daughter of an underground coal miner, she has a passionate interest in the communities, environment, and histories of the southern West Virginia coalfields. She lives in Charleston, West Virginia.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

248 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2007

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first (and only) book I've officially blurbed. I'll quote myself, from one of the "Praise For" pages preceding the title page:

"This book is a wake-up call not only for southern West Virginians, but for anyone who uses electricity generated from coal. Bringing Down the Mountains is a must-have for students and scholars of energy policy, the environment, economics, politics, organized labor, and Appalachian studies."

So, yes, I highly recommend this book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book was like reading a chronicle of a period of my life. This book is so real, that if you cut it, it'd bleed. The people and events that Dr. Burns so eloquently detail in this book will seem unreal, after all how could WE, as Americans, allow this type of treatment to continue. It is conundrum facing central Appalachia. Do we continue to destroy our homes in order to be able to live there, or do we demand better of our elected officials and companies that operate here? Dr. Burns poses this very question, while expertly detailing current events and putting them in a historical context, and thus showing the current decimation of the mountains is only a continuation of the exploitation of Appalachia. Written in clear and concise language, and with in-depth analysis, first-hand accounts and passion, Dr. Burns book, Bringing Down The Mountains, is an instant classic, and a worthy read for anyone interested in Appalachia.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone concerned about the destruction of the landscape that occurs when coal mining companies engage in mountaintop removal. The author, a personal friend of mine, is passionate for all the right reasons. She is held in high regard by many across the spectrum. I've read it twice now and no doubt there'll be many more reads in the future.

[Kiley Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised how this book held my attention. I am not fond of history and I had to read this for a class; however, once I started reading it I was shocked by some of it's content. These things are occurring within my own state and I was unaware of much of the history and current controversy that are contained within the pages of this book.