The Last Mountain - [TRAILER] - Copyright © 2010 Uncommon Productions

Synopsis

In the valleys of Appalachia, a battle is being fought over a mountain, the consequences of which affect every American; it's a battle that has taken innocent lives and threatens to take more. It is a battle over protecting our health and environment from the destructive power of Big Coal. Mining and burning coal is at the epicenter of America's struggle to balance its energy needs with environmental and health concerns. Nowhere is that concern greater than in Coal River Valley, West Virginia, where a small but passionate group of ordinary citizens are trying to stop Big Coal corporations, like Massey Energy, from continuing the devastating practice of Mountain Top Removal. David, himself, never faced a Goliath like Big Coal. The group argues that Mountain Top Removal-using dynamite to blast off a mountain's surface-pollutes the air and water implicit in their neighbors' deaths, eliminates traditional mining jobs and spreads pollution to other states. Despite support for their claims, Big Coal repeats Mountain Top Removal daily, amassing huge profits that allow their Washington lobbyists to wield influence in both political parties, rewrite environmental laws and avoid violations. The desire to stop Mountain Top Removal comes from a belief that we share responsibility for protecting the air and water; its what drives the group and their supporters from outside of Appalachia, like Robert Kennedy, Jr., to keep fighting. Honoring ordinary Americans fighting for what they believe in, THE LAST MOUNTAIN shines a light on our energy needs and how those needs are being met. Their fight is for a future that affects us all.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Genre:
• Documentary
• Official
• Site:
• Director:
• Bill
• Haney
• Writers:
• Run
• Time:
• 95
• minutes

[rapeasaurus1]

@dgrub I have a coal plant in my city. This affects all of us. Also, there are alternatives to coal. Obviously I don't think the switch can be done overnight, but it needs to start now.

[dgrub]

@rapeasaurus1 The fact that you are from Wisconsin says a lot to me. You aren't in coal country. You only hear the horror stories the environmentalists tell. You don't see the studies that show the significant jump there would be in electric bills and how that would affect Americans. Think about how big of a deal it is when gas goes up a few cents every week. Compound that with an electric bill that goes up a few dollars every month. Bet there's be a few more coal supporters then..

[rapeasaurus1]

@dgrub okay, but this specific area in the movie has class 5 winds. Even if it's not class 5, wind mills can be run profitably virtually anywhere. They're even run profitably here in Wisconsin--although Scott Walker isn't exactly helping that-- where the conditions are less than ideal.

[dgrub]

@rapeasaurus1 I'm sure it would have had the potential to be biased if it *were* conducted by a coal company. However, I work for a land company. We lease property for any means - be it coal mining, gas or oil extraction, or even windmills. The study was not biased because our stake is not only in coal - but in the most economical options of land use for our properties.

[rapeasaurus1]

@dgrub is a study about wind power completely unbiased and truthful when it is conducted by a coal company?

[rapeasaurus1]

@dgrub Idk that much so you might be right about it being uneconomical but i highly doubt this since the coal companies receive huge government subsidies and have immense lobbying power. Plus tourism and windpower are worth a lot to the economy, too. These C.E.O.'s is indeed evil since they constantly break regulations and selfishly put the environment and workers' safety and jobs in danger. Also, the department of energy says it's practical for wind power to provide 20% of our energy by 2030.

[dgrub]

@rapeasaurus1 I've seen many of these studies. We even had one conducted on our company's property. Locations with consistent class 5 winds are rare. I would not be opposed to taking advantage of those suitable locations, but I think it is foolish to think that we could or should try to completely phase out fossil fuels. We have more coal than any other country in the world. Let's use that advantage while we can and take advantage of energy independence!

[dgrub]

@rapeasaurus1 I understand that MTR is not ideal, but until it is outlawed it is an effective way of making a profit - which is the goal of any industry. The industry is not evil, it is taking advantage of opportunity. Just like an American phone company outsourcing its call centers. Yes, it hurts the Americans that held that job before - but it keeps the company thriving, allowing it more $ for R & D, services to customers, and cheaper bills - just like electricity is cheap due to coal.

[dgrub]

@rapeasaurus1 Listen, I do agree with parts of your argument. I agree that MTR isn't the best way of mining. In some situations it is beneficial (when the flat land can be utilized for airstrips, excercise facilities, airdrop training zones, animal grazing, etc. - as I've seen done on my company's properties). However, most of the MTR coal is inaccessable by deep mining methods - or is uneconimical to mine that way. So essentially, from a mining standpoint, it would become untouchable wealth

[rapeasaurus1]

@rapeasaurus1 *they're more profitable than ever.