| This dissertation examined the natural, economic, social and political impact of the controversial form of coal mining, mountaintop removal, in West Virginia. Using the lens of environmental justice thought and practice, this dissertation detailed the technical processes of mountaintop removal coal mining, and revealed the political and economic forces in the state that support this practice. In addition, this project examined the grassroots, environmental activism against mountaintop removal in West Virginia, highlighting the efforts of the Coal River Mountain Watch, and the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.; This work also noted the gendered nature of grassroots environmental resistance in the region, linking current anti-mountaintop removal activists, such as Judy Bonds, Freda Williams and Pauline Canterbury to the long history of women's protest against coal in Appalachia. And it examined popular histories of the coal industry in West Virginia, disclosing how some forms, such as the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, protect the interests of coal in the state, while others, such as the novels of Denise Giardina, provide an alternative, critical history of coal's influence in the state.; Ultimately, this study revealed the forces that have created, and continue to sustain the power of King Coal in West Virginia, and highlighted the efforts of those who seek to stop this industry's devastating practices on the natural, economic, political and social environment of the state. |
