Something's rising: Appalachians fighting mountaintop removal

322 Pages·2009·1.78 MB·English

by  Silas House

Something’s Rising

RiSing
Something’S 

Appalachians Fighting
Mountaintop Removal
Silas House
and
Jason Howard
Foreword by Lee Smith
T U P K
he niversiTy ress of enTUcKy
The oral narratives in this book reflect the experiences and opinions of
the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the authors
or the University Press of Kentucky.
Copyright © 2009 by The University Press of Kentucky
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of
Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society,
Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State
University, Morehead State University, Murray State University,
Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of
Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.
Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008
www.kentuckypress.com
13 12 11 10 09 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
House, Silas, 1971–
Something’s rising : Appalachians fighting mountaintop
removal / Silas House and Jason Howard ; foreword by Lee Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8131-2546-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Mountaintop removal mining—Environmental aspects—
Appalachian Region, Southern. 2. Landscape protection—
Appalachian Region, Southern—Citizen participation. 3.
Environmentalism—Appalachian Region, Southern. 4. Celebrities—
Appalachian Region, Southern—Interviews. 5. Appalachian Region,
Southern—Environmental conditions. I. Howard, Jason, 1981– II. Title.
TD195.C58H68 2009
338.2’7240974—dc22 2008049846
This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting
the requirements of the American National Standard
for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Member of the Association of
American University Presses
For Cheyenne and Olivia:
This is your heritage; protect it.
S.H.
For Garrison and her fighting spirit.
J.H.
We offer this book in honor
of the coal miners in our own families
and to all the children of Appalachia
who witness injustice in its many forms.

Something’s rising
Up on Cranks Creek
People rising to turn the tide
Something’s rising
Up on Cranks Creek
People say it won’t be the water this time.
—Bev Futrell, “Cranks Creek”
Who’s gonna stand up?
And who’s gonna fight?
—Hazel Dickens
What’s folks going to live on when these hills
wear down to a nub?
—James Still, River of Earth

Contents
Foreword by Lee Smith xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Jean Ritchie The Preservationist 23
Denise giardina Mother Jones’s Great-Granddaughter 45
Bev may Little Acts of Greatness 67
Carl Shoupe Union Made 95
Kathy mattea A Light in the Dark 113
Judy Bonds The Endangered Hillbilly 131
Pat hudson Called to Action 151
Jack Spadaro Appalachian Patriot 179
nathan hall A Leader, Not a Follower 201
Anne Shelby and Jessie Lynne Keltner Holy Ground 217
Larry Bush The Gathering Storm 245
Appendix A: Text of the Petition Letter Circulated by Coal
Companies against the Stream Saver Bill 263
Appendix B: House Bill 164, the Stream Saver Bill,
as Introduced in February 2008 265
Notes 267
Selected Bibliography 287
About the Authors 291
Index 293