beyond the coal divide: the cultural politics of natural resource extraction in central appalachia

294 Pages·2016·1.58 MB·English

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Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology Anthropology
2017
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Julie A. Shepherd-Powell
University of Kentucky, [email protected]
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2017.015
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Shepherd-Powell, Julie A., "BEYOND THE COAL DIVIDE: THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF NATURAL
RESOURCE EXTRACTION IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA" (2017). Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology.
23.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_etds/23
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The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on
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Julie A. Shepherd-Powell, Student
Dr. Mary Anglin, Major Professor
Dr. Sarah Lyon, Director of Graduate Studies
BEYOND THE COAL DIVIDE:
THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION IN
CENTRAL APPALACHIA

_________________________________________________

DISSERTATION
_________________________________________________

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky

By
Julie Shepherd-Powell

Lexington, Kentucky

Director: Dr. Mary K. Anglin, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Lexington, Kentucky

2017

Copyright © Julie Shepherd-Powell 2017
ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION

Beyond the Coal Divide:
The Cultural Politics of Natural Resource Extraction in Central Appalachia

During the last several years far southwest Virginia, like elsewhere in the central
Appalachian region, has faced a decline in all coal mining activity and a subsequent loss
of coal mining jobs, meaning that local economies are suffering and the unemployment
line is long. In addition, this area continues to face environmental pollution from surface
coal mines that are still in operation or have not been reclaimed. Drawing upon
anthropological literature on natural resource extraction and economic and environmental
inequality, this dissertation highlights the lives of members of a local grassroots
environmental organization, as well as other local residents, in a small coal mining
community in Appalachia.

Complicating and contradicting the “jobs versus environment” dichotomy used by
industries, politicians, and academics to position people in “black and white” categories,
this dissertation demonstrates that people living within an area where a controversial
resource extraction method was used did not take a “hard line” stance on coal mining,
but rather took into account the economic, environmental, and cultural risks and benefits
associated with the industry’s practices. This dissertation offers a textured account of how
local and regional politicians and coal industry executives use their authority--or abuse
their power--to garner support for controversial resource extraction practices.

Furthermore, this dissertation also demonstrates that support for, or opposition to,
surface mining practices (such as mountaintop removal) was also influenced by the
different perceptions of the environment held by participants. All respondents expressed a
love of the mountains; however their perceptions of pollution and proper use of the land
varied greatly. Despite disagreements over coal, all residents expressed a concern over
the economy and articulated the need for new economic opportunities beyond coal in order
for the region to remain a viable place to live and work.
KEYWORDS: Natural resource extraction, Appalachia, Coal, Environmental movements

Julie Shepherd-Powell
________________________________

January 30, 2017
________________________________
Date
BEYOND THE COAL DIVIDE:
THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION IN
CENTRAL APPALACHIA

By

Julie Shepherd-Powell

Dr. Mary K. Anglin
________________________________
Director of Dissertation

Dr. Sarah Lyon
________________________________
Director of Graduate Studies

January 30, 2017
________________________________
Date
For my dad, David Wayne Shepherd,
who taught me at an early age to care for the earth
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are many people who made this dissertation possible. I would foremost like
to thank my dissertation advisor and chair, Mary Anglin, for her support and direction
through all of the stages of this project. Her unending guidance and integral feedback on
many drafts of this dissertation helped me shape and sharpen my arguments and made me
a better scholar. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dwight Billings, Lisa
Cliggett, Sarah Lyon, and Shannon Bell, for their observations, comments, and support.
Having a committee who whole-heartedly engaged with and cared about my research was
a source of encouragement and inspiration.
Thank you to my fellow colleagues from the University of Kentucky, especially
Ryan Anderson, Victoria Dekle, Takami Delisle, Zada Komara, Celine Lamb, Megan
Maurer, Veronica Miranda, Karen Rignall, Christie Shrestha, and Jasper Waugh-
Quasebarth, with whom I spent hours grappling with anthropological theories, crafting
dissertation proposals, and writing papers at Coffea. Thank you to many of my
colleagues, as well as Lavenia Baxter, for watching baby Nora when I had no other
options for childcare. Without you all, I would not have made it through graduate school.
Thank you to my friends far and wide who provided moral support, comic relief,
fun distractions, meaningful conversations about my work, and cheerleading throughout
all of the various seasons of my graduate career, particularly: Bethany Baxter, Ryan
Chaney, Cindy Cook, Greg Galbreath, Sarah Gibson, Sam Gleaves, Mindy Greene, Tyler
Hughes, Todd Meade, Jennie Noakes, Brett Ratliff, Tammy Sawyer, Chris Shepherd-
Pratt, and Lora Smith. A special thank you to my friends at Appalshop and from the
coalfields. Without your knowledge, passion, and insights this dissertation would never
have been conceived.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the residents of Wise County, and especially to all of
the members of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards who generously welcomed
me to their organization, put me to “work” playing music for events, and spent countless
hours talking to me about their home. Their tireless efforts to protect the mountains and
create a sustainable future were an inspiration throughout my research and continue to
be an inspiration today.
Thank you to my family who encouraged me, prayed for me, and believed in me
from the very beginning. To my parents, Wayne and Carolyn Shepherd, I will forever be
indebted to you for the countless hours, days, and weeks you watched Nora and Oliver so
that I could write papers, read books, study, take qualifying exams, conduct research, and
write my dissertation. Having two small children and making it through a PhD program
was a challenge, but you made it possible—thank you. To my sister, Sheri Shepherd-
Pratt: through your own life and career, you have always inspired me to follow my
passions and do my best work. Thank you for your constant encouragement and listening
ear. To Adrian: thank you for seeing me through these years of graduate school and for
always doing whatever it took to get me over the next hurdle. I will ever be grateful for
the sacrifices you made, and especially for agreeing to go on this journey with me. To
Nora and Oliver, thank you for being a constant source of joy and fun during my “off”
hours. Your smiles, laughter, and cuddles pulled me through the difficult moments.
Funds for this research were provided by the National Science Foundation
(Dissertation Improvement Grant [PI-Mary Anglin, Co-PI-Julie Shepherd-Powell, BCS-
1154030]).
iii
Table of Contents

Acknowledgements iii
List of Tables vii
List of Figures viii
Chapter 1: Introduction- 1
Wise County: A Community Divided or a Community United?
Living in the Shadow of Surface Mining 1
Wise County, Far Southwest Virginia 5
The Anatomy of Two Towns 11
The Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards: A Grassroots
Environmental Justice Organization 15
The Decline of Coal in Wise County and Appalachia 16
A Love of Community 18
Overview of the Dissertation 20

Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework and Research Methods- 23
A Regional Approach: Appalachian Studies, Coal, and Activism 23
Resisting Coal: The Exploitation of the Land and People 25
The Early Anti-Strip Mining Movement 30
Regionalism and Place in Appalachian Studies 32
Mountaintop Removal and Activism in Appalachian
Communities 35
Environmental Movements in Anthropological Thought 41
Place-Based Social Movements 41
Mining, Activism, and Corporate Control in Anthropological
Literature 43
Environmental Justice Organizing 48
Economic Considerations in an American Region 51
Conclusion 56
Methodological Considerations 58
Interviews 59
Participant Observation 61
Informal Activities and Archival Research 63
Data Analysis 65
Situating the Researcher 66

Chapter 3: Audit Culture and Corporate Control in the Coal Fields 70
Points of Divergence in the Coalfields 70
“Friends of Coal” Signs and Symbols on the Landscape 71
Power Plays and Setting the Terms of Envisioning Community 78
The Process for Public Input in New or Revised Mine Permits 84
Ison Rock Ridge Permit Denial Hearing 86
Meeting with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement 94
iv
The Kelly’s Branch Lawsuit 97
The Coalfield Expressway and the Commonwealth Transportation
Board Meeting for Public Input on Transportation Projects 101
Conclusion 105

Chapter 4: The Decline of Coal Mining, Economic Uncertainty, and Everyday
Economic Representations in Wise County 108
Theories of Everyday Economic Representations 109
Class as Identity, Process, and Relationship to Capital Accumulation 112
Everyday Economic Representations in Wise County 115
Political Campaigns 127
The 2012 Election Cycle in southwest Virginia 128
Public Discourse in Political Work 133
Newspaper Editorials 134
The Governor’s First Biennial Natural Resources and Energy Law
Symposium 134
U.S. House Subcommittee Meetings 139
Local Meetings 141
UMWA and the Critique of Corporate Greed 143
Fairness at Patriot 146
Conclusion 156

Chapter 5: “Strip Miners Love Mountains, Too”: Narratives of the Environment,
Pollution, and Appropriate Land Use 157
Environmental Justice and Imagining the Environment 159
Environmental Justice Organizing 160
The Experience of Environment and Surface Mining 164
Narratives of the environment 166
SAMS Water Testing and Coal Company Fraud and Dishonesty 177
Pollution and Equivalences 181
Appropriate Land Use: The Case of the Coalfields Expressway 185
Conclusion 188

Chapter 6: A Place-Based Approach: Diversifying the Economy, Sustaining
the Environment, and Finding Common Ground in the Coalfields of
Southwest Virginia 192
Care About and Care For the Environment in Visions of the Future 194
Place-based Economic Development 195
The Old Model: Industry as the “Answer” 200
Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and New Entrepreneurship Efforts 205
Non-Capitalist Visions for the Future 214
Conclusion 220

Chapter 7: Conclusion: A Future Beyond the Coal Divide 223
Continued Struggles 223
The Future of the Coalfields in the Era of Donald J. Trump 228
v