Educational Media Reviews Online

Energy policy and environmental matters are polarizing topics everywhere in the United States, but nowhere more strikingly than Appalachian coal country. Overburden goes to great lengths to portray this polarization and its impact on a community deep within the coal rich mountains of West Virginia. Footage and interviews span from 2007, depicting a failed attempt to prevent a mountaintop removal project concerning Coal River Mountain and the activism entailed, to the devastating and tragic underground coal mining disaster at Upper Big Branch Mine in 2010, and after effects leading up to the 2014 indictment of the mine operator Massey Energy’s then-CEO, Don Blankenship. The most striking takeaway from the stories and scenes is how deeply entrenched the coal industry is in Appalachia, and how powerless the local community is to confront or change this reality. In Appalachia the coal industry holds a near monopoly over job opportunities in the region, and as one coal industry advocate notes: coal is life, it runs through families, it’s a path to college, and it’s a way to keep families off of unemployment and welfare. As one coal industry opponent notes, it’s often the only meaningful work option for many families, which is why in anticipation of decreasing demand for coal as an energy resource (with the rise of natural gas and renewable alternatives), coal industry opponents seek to diversify economic opportunities for their community. Overburden is recommended for collections with a focus on environmental studies, energy policy, economic policy, and Appalachian communities.