2009 – Issue 2 (April/May)

Story by Sarah Vig In Mingo County, W. Va., one of the largest coal-producing counties in the nation, 760 residents are preparing to face off against Big Coal. The group filed a class action suit against Massey Energy and its subsidiary, Rawl Sales & Processing, on claims of personal injury, wrongful death, property damage and…

Story by Bill Kovarik The fight over mountaintop removal coal mining accelerated this spring, with action in the courts, the regulatory agencies, Congress and universities. For the first time in almost a decade, environmentalists appear to be winning. Courts gave the mining industry one initial victory in mid-February, when the pro-business U.S. 4th District court…

Story by Alison Singer In 1986, the Eastern National Park & Monument Association (ENPMA) began the popular Passport to Your National Parks program. ENPMA, in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), developed imitation passports to encourage parents and children to visit the parks. Each passport includes maps, visitor information, photographs and illustrations. The passport…

Story by Alison Singer and Sarah Vig Protests erupted across the Appalachians this winter and spring as activists took to the streetsfor clean air and water and an end to dirty coal in all its phases—mining, processing, and burning—in an unprecedented way. On Coal River Mountain, activists and community members have been engaging in a…