Matthys Visser

The Last Mountain Assignment

The Last Mountain was a documentary about the coal industrys exploitation of the

Appalachian Mountains. The mountaintop removal done in order to give companies access to

the coal has destroyed 500 Appalachians, destroys a million acres of forest, and buried 2000

miles of streams. Massey Energy (sold to Alpha Natural Resources in 2011) is responsible for

the destruction in this area and has done more mountaintop removal mining than any other US

company. From 200 to 2006 Massey had committed over 60,000 environmental violations. Their

28 waste impoundments have spilled 24 times in the last decade, resulting in 300 million gallons

of sludge into nearby rivers two times the amount released in the BP Gulf oil spill.

The documentary blames political influence, mainly, for these troubles. It asserts that in

the last decade, the coal mining industry spent over $86 million in lobbying. The railroad

industry, heavily relying on coal for its continued success, spent $350 million. Utility companies

are apparently also to blame, spending over $1 billion on lobbying and campaigns. The coal

industry has also apparently influenced individuals, as many workers blame environmentalists

for the loss of jobs despite an industry that has increased production by 140%. These 40,000

jobs were probably lost due to autonomization and other advances in technology. Renewable

energy is compared, where the job market is growing and it has already employed as many

people as the coal industry has (~85,000 people).

The documentary also elaborated on the health issues caused by coal mining and the

efforts done to stop it. Aside from the fact that coal ends up costing more than renewable

energy in the long run, it visited those directly affected by the mining, and their health issues

that the coal industry has denied association to. According to the EPA, it is unsafe to eat any

freshwater fish in 48 states due to mercury contamination. The wind and solar industries could
fully replace coal and provide income to farmers and rural landowners, as well as creating jobs

for people in the area.

Toward the end of the film, the viewer is told that they are directed to coal. Everybody is.

For instance, a family may have a member working in the coal industry, and the family relies on

their income. Many people, especially in the midwest, get their energy from coal. So energy

consumption is proposed as something that could improve the situation. Some peoples health

and well-being may be directly affected by coal. Coal even influences the cost of many

consumer products. The documentary encourages the individual to stand up as a national

community against coal mining. This means actual activism. Protesting, lobbying, doing

whatever you can in order to encourage a cleaner and healthier environment. Even spreading

information. Using any investment possible on cleaner energy consumption is the least you can

do, but it can add up.