From Appalachia to Alaska: Coal Development and the Environmental Justice Movement

In the coal-mining region of Central Appalachia, mountaintop-removal mining and coal-industry-related flooding, water contamination, and illness have led to the emergence of a grassroots, women-driven environmental justice movement. But the number of local activists is small relative to the affected population, and recruiting movement participants from within the region is an ongoing challenge. In her new book, Fighting King Coal: The Challenges to Micromobilization in Central Appalachia, Shannon Elizabeth Bell examines why so few of the many people who suffer from industry-produced environmental hazards and pollution rise up to participate in social movements aimed at bringing about social justice and industry accountability. Alaska possesses roughly half the known coal reserves in the United States and there is increasing pressure to develop these reserves. What can Alaskans learn from the health outcomes and environmental justice movement in Central Appalachia? Dr. Bell discusses the health effects of coal development and how local involvement affects the success or failure of environmental justice efforts. Carly Wier, Coal Campaign Director at Cook Inletkeeper gives listeners an update on coal projects in Alaska.