Redefining Appalachia

A post by the folks at the City University of New York's Institute for Sustainable Cities. We'd love to keep conversations about rural-urban linkages as they relate to an Appalachian Transition going! As always your thoughts, comments and feedback welcome. The post: Solutions journal has a special issue on the future and transition of Appalachia that is both inspiring–in its discussion of the potential for a resilient, localized, vibrant economy and upsetting–in its disclosure that while coal extraction has “largely defined the public image of Appalachia, the industry is at an all-time low in terms of employment—it represents less than two percent of all jobs—and economic impact. ” This is upsetting not because of the fact alone, we should actually feel rather positive that this destructive industry represents only 2% of the local economy. What is so upsetting is the countless amounts of money and lobbying efforts that have gone into keeping Appalachian citizens–and Americans at large–convinced that coal mining is important, irreplaceable and extremely significant in economic terms. Via Solutions Full with a lesson on the basics of David Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage theory to a discussion of the vision for a more sustainable Appalachia, this article outlines how it came to be that Appalachia became synonymous with mountain top mining, rapid environmental destruction and risk with limited return, that somehow gives the allusion of infinite return, and of course, how this place can be and is being saved. The key concepts from the piece are below, but I...

Beyond Coal: A Resilient New Economy for Appalachia

Continuing to highlight the articles published in Solutions Journal as they relate to the story of an Appalachian Transition. See the web version for the fully interactive article, with all its images and layout. Beyond Coal: A Resilient New Economy for Appalachia John Todd Samir Doshi Anthony McInnis The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.—Wendell Berry, Unsettling of America Coal Mining in Appalachia Coal mining has been practiced in Appalachia since the Revolutionary War. An upsurge in extraction began with the twentieth century.1 By its end, increased mechanization produced enough coal to provide over 50 percent of the electricity for the United States, thereby emitting nearly 40 percent of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions.2,3 With increasing demand from such developing nations as India and China, Appalachian coal is also being shipped overseas.2,4 Coal slurry is a major contributor to environmental degradation. It consists of a mixture of minute particles of coal, chemicals, water, and waste rock.5,6 Normally it is stored in impoundments built in valleys and hollows or is pumped underground into abandoned mines.7 The earthen dams that hold back the impoundments are built from waste materials from mining. Many of the chemicals in the slurry are toxic petrochemicals from coal washing and include polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benzopyrene and other coagulants, flocculants, and surfactants. Such coal wastes release other metals and metalloids through acid mine drainage. The mixture can also contain arsenic, cadmium, lead, selenium, and mercury.8,9 Compounding the danger,...