Toxic West Virginia: Mountaintop Removal- Episode 1

Uploaded By:
VBSdotTV

Save & Share

Tags: Moutaintop Removal Toxic VBS vbs.tv Vice Virginia West www.VBS.tv

Find more videos in the "Travel" category

Want to embed this video on your blog or e-mail it to a friend? Scroll down for tools.

FOR MORE OF TOXIC WEST VIRGINIA VISIT:
http://www.vbs.tv/player.php?bccl=NDEzMjk4MjU0X19ORVdT=
Meredith Danluck is a New York artist, director, and all-around amazing person who has a killer collection of power tools. VBS bumped into her a few months ago and discovered that she has been working on a film in West Virginia, a sort of impressionistic account of the current environmental catast
rophe in the Appalachian Mountains. Mining companies are destroying entire mountains in order to get at the coal inside them. Quickly and efficiently, the oldest mountain range in the world is being systematically obliterated. We sent Meredith and VBS correspondent Derrick Beckles to the hills and h
ollers of West Virginia to show us what the end of the world looks like.

See more videos uploaded by VBSdotTV

Related Videos

Mountaintop Removal in KY and WV	National Memorial for the Mountains	Religious Leaders Mountaintop Removal Tour

Mountaintop Removal Video (intro)	Toxic West Virginia - Part 2	Maria Gunnoe describes Marsh Fork Elementary

Comments for this video: Show || Hide

Comments for this video on YouTube

Oh yeah, "this how ... ( 3 months ago by crazychrisva)

Oh yeah, "this how we now mine for coal" and freaked out about the use of explosives, TNT has been part of mining for at least 200 yrs.
Did anyone notice how he cut off Chris Hamilton, what a rude little liberal bastard.

I think ... ( 3 months ago by fishintwodish)

I think crazychrisva is the fucktard here!

as a fellow West ... ( 3 months ago by runie360)

as a fellow West Virginian i also prefer it over deep mining. the hills above my house were logged and strip mined years ago and it looks more beautiful than ever at one time it looked ugly but now it looks amazing

Seeing as i live in ... ( 2 months ago by kingamer11)

Seeing as i live in West Virginia I would hate for this to happen to Pipestems mountains. Maybe people should come check them out before they are blown away like these. What about all of the animals that live on those mountain?

SOOOO, let me get ... ( 2 months ago by jbuzzkirk)

SOOOO, let me get this straight. You Fucktards would rather destroy the state completely. And not have single thing to look at or live on. Just so we can have a little coal for the 50 or so years it takes to level the state. So save a few lives to live now and destroy or future. TRUELY FUCKING STUPID!! I say, save our beautiful state from fucking retarded people that blow up what little we have left. P.S. GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!

i love wv ( 2 months ago by bubbalove14)

i love wv

i wish people knew ... ( 2 months ago by coalminer24605)

i wish people knew what they talked about b4 they spoke. the "LOCALS" arent screwed there are mor deep mines than surface. this idot needs to go back home and take care of his ghetto gangs.they need to quit turning big plots of land into concreete playgrounds "CITIES" once a structure goes up there is no reclamation.surface mining there is reclamation and the land is replanted.

You have no clue. ... ( 2 months ago by coalminer24605)

You have no clue. So please do yourself a favor and learn more about"CLEAN COAL" before you open the hole under your nose and let the world know how intelligent you are not. Clean coal is a term used for new technology to burn coal and the emissions are kept below that of burning oil. The slurry pond that you are rambling about is from CLEANING COAL so they can ship it.By the way when that mines was Union that pond wasnt a problem, just when it became non-union now it is a problem.

sweetie, your ... ( 2 months ago by madcowgirl4h)

sweetie, your screenname there shows how intelligent you are not before even reading your message. Please remove broomstick from rectum and calm down.

a fraction try over ... ( 2 months ago by coalminer24605)

a fraction try over 50% of the nations energy. that isnt a small fraction more like HALF.

your car is made of ... ( 2 months ago by coalminer24605)

your car is made of steel hmm what makes steel? iron ore and coal heating it or the other way is by huge electrodes = ELECTRICITY= heating the iron ore . 50% of our NATIONS ELECTRICITY COMES FROM COAL.

For one this is not ... ( 2 months ago by coalminer24605)

For one this is not a new way of mining it has been around for many years. Madcow your just proof that some people are educated beyond their intelligence.

George W. Bush ... ( 2 months ago by Staatl)

George W. Bush really was really horrible concerning his impact on the environment. He even thought or still thinks about permitting mining and stuff in national parks like Yellow Stone. Hillary Clinton would have supported this devastating way of mining tooo, by the way. I think you should end it or that there should be way more regulations concerning the size of strip mines like these. Such ways of mining would not be permitted in Europe, people are more aware of what they will lose.

Ok you people are ... ( 2 months ago by wvagurl08)

Ok you people are acting so retarted...you go around acting like its so bad for us to blow up a couple mountains to keep your freakin power on, and you can go around in your big SUV's and pollute the earth, and what you prob dont know is that when they are done mining in the area they fill it in and plant trees, and what are you doin for the air your polluting??NOTHING thats what!! so as the saying goes..Before you start pointin fingers make sure your hands are clean!

ohh and one more ... ( 2 months ago by wvagurl08)

ohh and one more thing...if it wasnt for these men gettin out everyday workin on these MTR jobs then half of you wouldnt have the things you do, these people are hard workers and help keep the modern luxury you know as power around, and all you can do is ridicule them for the way they do it?? are you serious??

Do you all know why ... ( 1 month ago by poopsix)

Do you all know why they do this? Because the seams of coal are so narrow. Up in Northern West Virginia, they do underground mining. It wasn't an arbitrary decision to wreck the environment, it was seen as the only cost-effective way to get at that coal and get jobs in there. Now, I don't think it's a good idea- it wrecks the environment. But, at least there is reasoning behind it.

Amen, sister. I ... ( 1 month ago by JeffFurrowMusic)

Amen, sister. I work on a strip job, and if it wasn't for coal mines...West Virginia would be a severely poor state. Many families would go hungry.

I have been on top ... ( 1 month ago by njlace)

I have been on top of the mountains in Boone County, WV. It is a shame how they are destroying the beautiful trees that have been growing for years and replacing them with cheap vegetation that will never grow and replace what was cut down. Yes, many jobs are provided to the citizens of Boone County but compared to all the money the companies take in, there is no financial comparison. They are literally raping the land and its people.

WV is a severly ... ( 3 weeks ago by pfunkmonster)

WV is a severly poor state (JeffFurrowMusic) there has always been a select few who have access, prob got the best land deal from VA, and there are others who took theirs but then this land has been tossed around for awhile the people here, especially in the mining areas have been sick and suffering for quite awhile-I am 50 and I am a Hatfield on my mothers side and A Mccoy on my fathers side I have been around here for awhile coal does very little for the state considering the damage

your lucky I own 10 ... ( 3 weeks ago by mdcjackson)

your lucky I own 10 achers in boone county. I now live in montgomery,The mud slides and massive run off made my property unliveable.But the still expect me to pay taxes on it

sounds familiar. ... ( 3 weeks ago by pfunkmonster)

sounds familiar. Somehow, we will find out the
true story and stop all the madness here, I stil believe because I know the strength given to me and the strength of the people here hang in there and thanks for the response it will take all of us together for this battle

I dont understand ... ( 3 weeks ago by WV24985)

I dont understand everyone saying WV is a poor state...I'll give you that with the exeption of mining jobs, the pay rates are lower, but at the same time, the cost of living is lower, and it balances out. Everyone here I know that will work, has everything they want. Where else can you buy a 4 bedroom two story house with a full basement on an acre of land for $25,000? You dont need 100k a year for that.

Wal Mart is #1 ... ( 3 weeks ago by pfunkmonster)

Wal Mart is #1 employer followed by hospitals and Kroger Car Insurance is the same as if I lived in a larger city most jobs pay 10 grand So obviously your WV is not my WV oh and most cannot take a bite of ya cause we have never been offered dental care and medical is not there as well I have been working much as well and I have made on average 12 grand with 2 years I was able to have a better pay and this is from 1992

now to finish...I ... ( 4 days ago by wvhollergirl77)

now to finish...I was never really involved in standing up against this until it happened in my own backyard. I hated it, but ignored it because it did not effect me...now it does and all though I never did anything in the past, I am now. Yes, workers are paid well by these companies. However, these companies could give a crap about those who work for them. Big Coal - is Big Business, they fill us with propaganda with the Friends of Coal Commercials to the freaking concerts.

Tell a friend: