Hillbillies, Coalminers, Treehuggers and God | Explore Films

first thing I felt when I arrived  in West Virginia was that I arrived   in America you can feel the heartbeat  right here in small towns cold river so feeling I haven't felt like anywhere before highway three feels like the arteries and  veins of our country you can see the trains   coming out with loads cold that's energy  that's life in this narrow highway is the   gateway it's the hearts the coal mines  and the people you built our country we're in a coal mine right now and this is a  basic welcome to explore never stop learning they actually ride TM men on this airship maybe we are really in Bali the  planet his black you guys work   in pretty dark leggett twice and you're good to go how high is this wall anyways you're right  at 6-foot right save me to eat it's amazing I'm working 30 36 no [ __ ] about like it so  all day you're not just stop my trip for the   ceiling in here all day 36 inches yeah  that's the that's the real stuff there   this rock is what gives America 50 percent  of its electricity is every just the thing   about it we're down here but this thing  from the earth is that this never stop   think about that yeah it's far as most  people know I traveled the world man and   you you will be surprised how many people  make no connection between cold electrics look Oh very stressful job it's a lot of detox very  stressful do you feel this means you've arrived   emergency shelter because he'd be navigating in  the dark probably right yeah I just find it real   hard press for me to go in unless I'm 100% certain  I can't get out which and I don't think you can   ever be 100% certain you can't get out I'm not  crawling in one and none of these guys say they   would either I'm following breaking news in the  West Virginia coalfields six miners are dead 21   unaccounted for rescuers are working feverishly  to reach miners believed to be deep underground   at the Upper Big Branch mine a massive explosion  there around 3 p.m. this afternoon killed 719 or   unaccounted for at the Massey Energy Company  facility we did not receive the miracle so we   prayed for we have a total of 29 brave miners  there will be full recovery at this time - now shell Oh for you and your all of this wealth was being generated here why  is this town a ghost on when I was a kid I was   12 years old you couldn't find a place to park  in Whitesville it was a festive atmosphere there   were two theaters there was a bowling alley there  were two or three major grocery stores two drug   stores hardware stores every building was taken  it was a very brisk economy and people flocked the   Whitesville on the weekends it was a festive mode  and that was when there was a union when Matthew   came in and took the Union out you just saw  this town just go to [ __ ] in the mountain huh Oh cars rolling rumbled past my door now to  stand in a rusty row our lefty goes beyond a don't stop here anymore I sympathize with  the strip miner I think most of these guys   gone upon these mountaintop removal sites  they don't want like what they're doing but   again they gotta put food on the table  so they take that job that so many jobs   there is but they divide them if they get  if they know that one of the strip miners   came and talked to one of us tree huggers  you know then that guy's not gonna have a   job all along the seats you're right show you  some coal seams here something to get ghost   they would contour the shape of the mountain  go around and cut it away and get the coal out   is nothing like mountaintop removal mountaintop  removal was like fire clear strip my steroids I'd   say what is that of that's called River Mountain  that's where my great-great-great-grandfather   settle up in that area that's the one that  Massey has part of their permit blow it up I just wanna keep it's over somebody when I was little demands didn't bother the  people that much they was a lot of black dust   you know that was a black line but people  didn't know that better you know they just   worked and and then what they had to do but  then you bring massing in here and the deep   mines was then you know they were back in  and down that was then and now they're not   only taken what's underneath the mountain  they're taking what's over the mountain they're taking it all do you think there  should be like all wind power here or what   I think I should have solar hydroelectric  wind cut let's mix it all up together and   create a market where they have to compete  for if you get competition you get lower   prices you get better control you get people  you know that's going to actually take care   of stuff you get leak we need competition  yeah Tommy it's not saying he's a big cut   on Tommy cosy and there she told me to  watch the house when you got back okay everyone must encourage bins I hope I gotta get  me another beer I gotta pee I want me and not me she thinks Sabbath beaches like getting  up your mama made this is a real treat   you got Larry sixth generation this is home  here in Appalachia right above his property   we're gonna see some mountaintop  removal three pounds down here now   this land used to set 400 feet higher  warrior standing high 400 feet huh yeah yes they're killing Appalachia the  Appalachia itself is the most beautiful   area this country this country has it's  the jewel that this country has and it   is destroying it the very jewel that  makes it what it is under this corner our government your government is  elected to set these people aside not   people me I'm somebody you see I don't need  anybody tell me who I am of somebody that when we have our government took Nestor side  I have actually been told where the nuclear   fission's conference while it has to come  to speak that I was collateral damage all   mercy you should have been there when I got  my turn at all point battle day yeah me sure look what I'll have left if I used to be a  thriving community you know Apple better time   all here stand everything and you know the only  thing I'm holding on is what's left and that's it we call this black gold for many states destroying the planet we  live on others say they just want jobs   no one really knows what to do I throw morio yesterday I met Dallas and Chris  the coal miner for 29 years Chris 13 Dallas is   Chris's father-in-law they invited me inside  their home I guess they trust me to learn about   the world of coal mine will get on the main  thread when hair prayer before you're on the   ground and you think well one will make it back  out tonight then when you make it out you think   thanks Lord I'm out you knew something next day  you know April 5th and then this loss explosion   what's the psyche I mean is your when you go  down underneath the mines is your psychology   different are you guys like really scared ours  are just business as usual if you sit and think   about your drive shaft man that's like Miki she  said you don't never talk about anything yeah I   said you said go on I mean I got it all on the  ground every day sir I just seemed to share it   to the back if you got a buddy hurt you golf leave  it mm-hmm okay that's where the Brotherhood comes   Ian Road that's what they all are always happening  we grew up this way and we can tell you they don't   leave one behind and they won't do it it it let's  kill these guys to know they were laying on the   ground [ __ ] where they are and you can see it  written all over your face just talking about it   it's difficult you don't always know their names  you can't always been a name with the face but you   know somebody that knows somebody you know and  they're a minor so their family really can be being online anyway this 29 miners got  killed up here which has been prevented   I know don't know why I try to tell me  they come somebody should be prosecuted   for 29 days but don't push your senator  to carpet these kids no I don't I don't   we say much Chris Nuttal I get upset but  somebody turned her head and somebody paid you it takes a special man to be  a coal miner once you put that   hat in that belt on you better be  a man or you will come out at man what was Penny's the promise what did you do  that was the walk we did that was the campaign   that actually started for Mars Fork elementary  meebo ed and my wife Debbie and we was trying   to figure out how to fight this stuff with  mountaintop removal on this map but what got   me actually involved was my granddaughter I  was not involved with covert amount watch I   actually worked behind that school and all  these strip jobs I took millions of gallons   of toxic waste into these mountains you name it  I've done it but when my granddaughter got sick   down there are three days in a row I realized  I hurt my own granddaughter - you got over 240   violations on that dam itself by the federal  government MSHA significant substantial assert   insurance has happened this dam will fail in  977 lives will be fair why ain't that shut down so ed I was uh noticing your shoes are those  of shoes you walk to Washington DC and yeah   she's been walking and how far was that one  it was 440 one mile these are historic she's   my man I left West Virginia and went all the  way over 41 miles in 41 days made it inside   the US Capitol these shoes have been inside  the US Capitol it's Roberts Weaver's office   I wore these in there I think it's gonna have  to start with stop and mountaintop removal that   is irresponsible in my opinion me and Ed we  disagree a lot as far as Colburn I was born   and raised here I'm a Coal Miner's Daughter  my seven moles in a coal mine my two nephews   are coal miners they're underground coal mines  that square of the coal mine is supposed to be that is one of my family treasures that is  part of my roots right there that come out   of my mom and dad's hauler my grandma's hauler  her mother's hauler when they drag a little   hole in the mountain and check this stuff  out and use it responsibly I have respect   for what what the miners are I have respect for  that but also have respect for my mother earth this was ground zero for the mine explosion this  is where all the press and the governor was due   they held all the announcements and what makes  this Elementary School so famous is right behind   it is a coal dispensary and right above the  hill is about millions of millions of gallons   of what they call sludge jury just toxic waste  right over that hill we're in such a beautiful   place is there anything I can learn about this  area anything special I should know would anyone   can anyone share me some special things I heard  that True North I heard that messy coal um um   works just right next to the school and it's um  that's where the trains come from where the coal   comes from there's a bigger coma place over there  that produces all the coal gives the places energy when you told me there was a two billion ton  toxic slurry I mean that's just probably not the   best idea to have it the school underneath that  you know like just from a practical standards   knowing that danger could strike at any moment  well you know like I shared the other day you   know I don't really worry about it until we get  a hard rain and then I started worrying not only   because of that but also we have the river that's  behind us and we're in the floodplain because it   has gotten high when I was a kid when I had  a fifth fifth grade teacher that would tell   me like whenever the class was getting loud  he would just you know bang his fist on his   desk really you kids got to shut up or that  that a big dam up there's gonna bust and we're   all gonna die so like knowing that when you're  a kid you know that there's this massive lake   of slurry above your head I could go anytime  or whatever and it's scary think about that if you wanted to know what's in the dam behind  that school this is a coal slurry genuine that's   slurry yes it looks like tar a lot of water  obviously nature is not totally mixed them   so slurry basically is the leftover remains of  the process of cleaning like the rock and all   this stuff so the coal is fine and ready to be  burned so that's the leftover runoff that they   then leave in these big things it's the cleaning  process the slurry when they grow up a doctor   oceanographer Marines everyone is associated  with coli it's just not something that you   encounter one day is scared to do this everyone  knows about it from a very young age so you just   getting off work so funny scene is the preacher  to get in the ground so today your underground   is checking safety how many pounds do you wear on  you every day probably this is like 15 20 pounds   I didn't hear about the explosion so I had  finished my shifts that day that Monday I dari   shower was head at home and our superintendent  told us of the explosion and on our way down   on by the way down to home I just saw that  stuff at the church and I locked the doors   for anyone that made one that prayer or whatever  I told them when I came here as pastor I didn't   come to change no one I come to preach the  Word of God if God can't change them I can't there was a time when I first entered  the coal mines I wasn't serving God   never given it much thought but now I would  be terrified to going around without God and   I feel that if I can help one individuals  I'm all life's way no matter how long it   takes me I've done my part I want to help  more but if I can help one I'll do my part you say to come in your to help paper what in  the hell did you help them with turtle what   did you get accomplished an announcement  this point in Charlton a 6-year effort to   pull this hole is finally going to come  true thanks to an outside benefactor the   throne Annenberg of the Annenberg Foundation  and export dot org is donating 2.5 billion   dollars toward the new mark 4 Kelvin tree  school some teachers in Brooklyn today says   they are looking forward to several needed  improvements that there's full including a   better design plan for the younger students  a technology upgrade and a safer location you've been directed by a higher power for the  last couple weeks yeah that's true truly bust   you know now played as a whole to the horse's  head to me that doesn't happen to many people   that's all that's happened to you thank you  West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains Shannon life is old there older than the trees younger turns growing the breeze country  roll take me home to the play West Virginia mama ah take him home country Oh breathe gather round painted on the sky misty tasted teardrop take me more to the play ah West Virginia now to mama take  me home monkey roll come true Oh to they come on take for real West Virginia Mountain Dew the  real deal I thought based upon wall how   long it take hey guys Mandy say no belly  NASCAR it is a hillbilly NASCAR right here welcome to explore never stop learning well  do 100 style 30 explore explore welcome glory   and wash never stops learning never stop  learning okay Delia welcome to explore   never stop learning it welcomes it a slower  and never stop I am officially a coal hugger Oh you

Channel: Explore Documentary Films

Views: 1,402,469

Keywords: West Virginia, coal mining, environment, conservation, Appalachia, Marsh Fork Elementary, documentary, americana, oil and gas, explore.org, short film, http://explore.org, Philanthropy (Quotation Subject), coal, Mining (Industry), underground, Massey Energy Company, Massey energy, coal extractor, public health, children's health, endangered, division of environmental protection, non-violent protestors, protest, environmental protest, coal silo, minors, order_004

Id: FwWWG0RB7B0

Length: 27min 12sec (1632 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 11 2014