But the pattern of its struggles is not unique. The many ways in which politicians and coal barons have kept coal artificially cheap has, over the course of generations, devoured the potential of the area’s residents, and that of their economy.Ĭentral Appalachia’s problems stem from its distinctive history. The political and economic impotence of Appalachian residents that resulted has permitted a deeply cynical capitalist experiment to take place, in which coal companies are kept profitable by passing on the costs they incur to the public. The extreme imbalance of land ownership in central Appalachia shifted the power over where and how Appalachians lived to corporations. A deeply cynical capitalist experiment has taken place, in which coal companies are kept profitable by passing on the costs they incur to the public.Īt the root of these problems lies the ironic insight that struck Nick Mullins as he mined coal deep in the earth his family once owned. This odd cluster is consistently one of America’s worst pockets of affliction. Chart virtually any measure of human struggle, and there it will be, just right of center on a map of the US-a distinct blotch. It could be lung cancer deaths you’re looking at, or diabetes mortality. But they’re plain enough to see on a map. The destruction of central Appalachia’s economy, environment, social fabric and, ultimately, its people’s health is, in a sense, hidden. The costs of this subsidy aren’t tallied on corporate or government balance sheets.
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