Tom Butler

Plundering Appalachia: the Tragedy of Mountaintop-removal Coal Mining Tom Butler

Brief Description: Plundering Appalachia is a collection of photographs and essays detailing the grim realities of mountaintop removal mining: the effects of the blasting on the environment and the people and animals in its wake; the irreversible devastation of the natural landscape of Appalachia; how mountaintop removal is or is not regulated; and the true costs of the practice over time. Most people in the United States are connected to mountaintop removal in some way, whether they live in the affected areas, consume products derived from the mining haul, or are dealing with the effects that mining has on their ecosystem. Plundering Appalachia is a clarion call to action, asking Americans to get past the rhetoric of the coal industry and see the real Appalachia. Supported by science and common sense, the book is a plea for a region whose natural beauty deserves to be enjoyed by future generations.

Contributor Bio:  Butler, Tom Bishop Tom Butler has been a regular contributor to Thought for the Day since 1988. He was for?eleven years?Bishop of Southwark, and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Network of Britain and Ireland.?Previously?Bishop of Leicester and, before that, ?Bishop of Willesden, he was a member of the House of Lords for fourteen years, and chaired several of the Church of England's Councils and Boards.? ?Contributor Bio:  Wuerthner, George George Wuerthner has written more than 20 books, including other National Parks Visitor's Companions. He lives in Eugene, Oregon. Contributor Bio:  Berry, Wendell Wendell Berry continues to live and work with his wife, Tanya Berry, on their hillside farm in Kentucky. Contributor Bio:  Giardina, Denise Denise Giardina is the author of Storming Heaven, Emily's Ghost, and Saints and Villains, which won the Boston Book Review Prize. She is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church and lives in Charleston, West Virginia. Contributor Bio:  Heinberg, Richard Richard Heinberg is the author of books including "Blackout" and "Peak Everything" and a recipient of the M. King Hubbert Award for Excellence in Energy Education.