Antidote to Coal

Erin Shaw

Residents in the Coal River Valley of West Virginia are proposing an innovative alternative to the mountain-top removal and strip-mining that threatens 10 square miles of the Appalachian Mountains. The Coal River Wind Project, a community-based movement, would stop the proposed coal extraction and create a wind farm instead. While the economy depends heavily on coal, advocates say that the wind farm would provide more jobs in the long run, generate enough energy for 150,000 homes, allow for mountain tourism and sustainable forestry, and protect the community from the dangers of coal mining.

Creative Commons image: "An Alternative Vision for Coal River Mountain" by ilovemountains.org on Flickr.