All of these seemingly everyday landscapes along the Ohio River are sites where energy companies are proposing new coal-fired power plants. If built, the site would add to the already dense 16-mile radius land that houses Racine, Cheshire, and other cities in West Virginia and Ohio. It’s hard to imagine another one, two or three power plants in already toxic region. In the third picture you can see the plume above the cemetery from a distant American Electric Power plant.
D.E.P. Employee, Daniel Shea
I started writing a post in response to the disaster at Upper Big Branch Mine a few times while the events of the tragedy were unfolding. Each time I stopped because I didn’t really know what to say. I could link to a few news articles, maybe quote a couple of people that could offer real insight into the situation, post pictures, but something stopped me.
It’s been 6 weeks since an underground explosion at Upper Big Branch mine sparked a storm of controversy surrounding the coal industry, the effectiveness of state and federal environmental and industrial regulation, and workers’ safety, all in the context of a broadening dialog surrounding the effects of climate change. And of course, 29 miners lost their lives.
It wasn’t long before that conversation was pushed to the back pages of newspapers and news websites. Quickly, the editorials stopped coming in, the disaster being mentioned as mere digressions in larger debates. The BP Oil Spill is the current topical narrative that the public conversation is being framed around. But coal disasters keep happening. Within the last two weeks, three major coal mining disasters have happened. In Russia, at least 90 people were killed, in China 14 are dead, and in Turkey, 32 miners are trapped underground after an explosion yesterday.
Upper Big Branch Mine Entrance, Daniel Shea
A grim state of affairs to say the least, but the fickle nature of news media and public interest are telling once again. Soon after something urgent happens, such as the Big Branch disaster, a wake up reminder to some of the dangers of coal country, other news events quickly outpace any progress that is made from the spotlight. Last week’s news talk was about how heavy the hand of the oil industry is when it comes to new regulatory practices, only to systematically ignore them in the future. It’s speculated that this type of paradigm is partially responsible for disasters like the current one in the Gulf. This systematic problem is exactly the same in Appalachian coal fields. Employees and citizens know the dangers of the job and accept the reality as permanent, when stronger federal enforcement and a real progress towards renewable energy sources could quickly change the industry. Recent news narratives in the wake of the Upper Big Branch tragedy picked up on this, quoting miners and coal field residents that effectively translated their experience as feeling helpless in the belly of the beast.
In the face of such a bleak outlook, it’s important to keep things in perspective. And that perspective wholly suggests that the coal industry is on the demise. As public support outside of Appalachia weakens, as new, cleaner technologies become not only more accessible but more economically sustainable, and on the eve of major environmental overhaul coming from Washington, we will see the transition away from the grandfather of industrial energy production. And let’s not forget a major, major point – coal is a finite resource. The more we push the fossil fuel towards extinction by over-mining it, the less of one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems we will have intact. Environmental politics suggest that Americans aren’t only interested in what’s good for M. Nature, but how our industrial and consumer practices impact what we broadly perceive to be “legacy.” What type of legacy does a leveled Appalachia leave for future generations?
On a side note, when news of the mine disaster broke, I felt completely devastated. This mine was the closest mine to the house I was living in in 2007. There are surface mining projects on top of the mine where the explosion occurred, and I took an extensive tour of those sites in 2007:
There are two posts that contain photos and writings from that day: 1 and 2.
All images by Joe Leavenworth
Joe Leavenworth has excellent new work on his website, Late Night Boys. The work comes as a response to his evening shifts at Home Depot, documenting both the fringes of the working environment and the surrounding suburban anonymity. It resonates on many levels – for a working artist with an unenjoyable 9-5, for those who grew up in these non-places, and on an aesthetic and visceral level. The images are cold, funny, consumptive and wholly idiosyncratic. The series is spotted with dreary anachronisms that make me feel uncomfortable. Clearly this is an endorsement, so take a goddamn look.
“A Change Is Gonna Come” might be my all-time favorite song. I clearly remember being a child, driving with my dad and this song coming on the radio. It was 1990 maybe. My dad told me about the civil rights movement and I remember tearing up as I made the connection between Sam Cooke’s desperation in that song and what was happening at that point in history.
To this day, I can not listen to that song without holding back tears, which is insane, because I am never consistently emotionally moved by anything.
If you need proof, here’s a torrent.
Food Deserts, map
Last night DBC updated our website with a new feature on food. Each one of us in the collective focused on a local aspect of food production and politics to add to the growing dialog of food awareness in this country.
We compiled the four projects in a PDF Book that can be downloaded on our (new!) website (direct link to the book).
I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 6 months or so photographing food deserts in Chicago.
Food Deserts, detail
Food Deserts, detail
Food Deserts, 47th and State
Food Deserts, Western and Madison
As the earth’s soil erodes due to intensive slash and burn agriculture, overpopulation and ground water depletion, desertification takes place. Literally, the world is turning into a desert. A similar phenomenon plagues cities, but instead of soil erosion, the urban dweller finds resource erosion, and for the focus of this project, the resource is food. Food deserts are concentrated regions where residents have little to no access to fresh and sustaining foods. This occurrence is particularly prevalent in the city of Chicago.
Access is a term that strongly references the cyclical nature of social inequality, and “access” to nourishing food is multilaterally defined. Widespread poverty in food desert areas prevents economic access, which would support not only the cost of a whole foods-based diet, but also the cost of owning and operating a vehicle to access distant grocery stores. A systematic lack of affordable and efficient public transportation prevents residents from having the time and literal access to neighboring grocery stores. And of course, there is little easy access to the knowledge required to make healthy food choices, not to mention access to knowledge that speaks of systemic cycles of oppression that make food deserts an unfortunate, but sadly predictable phenomenon. This specifically calls into question an entirely different type of desert.
The Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group started reporting on Chicago food deserts in 2006, and since then, the study has been updated, tracking shifts in the demographical statistics and geography of these areas. They have designated 6 sites in the city that would have the highest impact on the over 600,000 residents affected, half of which are children and single mothers. I have photographed the lots of these 6 proposed grocery stores and the following pictures correspond to the points on the map to the left.
The photographs of proposed grocery store sites are followed by images of surrounding neighborhoods’ details that resemble traces of the layered oppression and access issues at work. Additionally, Black Bag Study focuses not only on the lack of food, but also the corner stores where people in food deserts source their current nourishment. Through this typology, the black bag is transformed from a carrying container of goods, into a reiterating reminder of what is missing.
As the culture of food shifts at large, perhaps we will consider distributing nourishing food based on criteria other than market interests.
Racine, Ohio
On my fourth day in Ohio last Fall, I was walking around downtown Racine (which consists of a diner, a hardware store, a small post office and a municipal building) with Bill Jones at dusk when a man in a very large new red pick up pulled up next to us.
“Bill,” the man said, nodding his head.
“How ya doing Jay?” Bill responded.
“So what are you boys up to?” Jay said adjusting his neck and head around to get a full look at my tripod and backpack.
Bill had had a reputation growing up in the town for getting into trouble, and I related that to Jay’s uneasiness. Once I explained to Jay what I was doing in town, he was eager to talk to me about the benefits of coal in the area and to give me a tour of some of the local sources of pride. Jay Proffitt is a successful real estate developer in the area, mainly working to house out of state coal employees during particular booms in local coal production.
He did not oblige my request to photograph him (“What do you need a photograph of this fat guy for harharhar??), but I regret not pushing him further, considering a picture of him, set against his relatively ostentatious car would have been great. On my return trip, I will make this happen.
Anyways, we went up to the local fire house, which was extremely well-kept and well-stocked. I was hoping to get a picture of the new truck and some of the firefighters (most were volunteer, the town wasn’t taking in a lot of tax-payer money). But unlike Jay’s quickly waning uneasiness, the young bucks at the fire station were not into my being there and hardly even acknowledged my presence.
After some more unnecessarily strained and awkward social interaction, Jay packed me up in his truck and we drove up to Paul Cardone’s house. Paul’s yard was neat and trimmed, and his house modest but extremely well kept. “Wait until you see what this guy has in his back yard,” Jay told me as we pulled up. We got out, knocked on the door and a soft-spoken older man came to the door. Introductions were made, and Paul took Jay and I to the back yard.
Fishermen in Model Railroad Town
He had a full outdoor model railroad town being built in his back yard. An entire town was being constructed, encompassed by train tracks that were transporting small bits of fake coal around to support the hypothetical local industry. I could hardly contain myself. “Paul, man, you don’t understand, this is a very important thing for me to see as it relates to my project.” I probably said something like that. His model town was a beautiful and extensive work of art. He had hand-crafted many of the structures, preferring to build and paint his own buildings, sets and props instead of relying on pre-packaged kits. It was too late that evening to do any substantial picture-making, but after a tour of his model town I took a single image before I lost all light:
Paul and Jay
I made plans with Paul to come back the next day, which I did, except this time alone. The next day, Paul and I talked about his life working as a maintenance man of the Gavin Power Plant (a prominent visual element in Plume) for 40 years before retiring to his model railroad hobby, his new labor of love. He was working at Gavin while the Cheshire AEP-buy out took place (see this post) and he unassumingly explained to me that most people were “exaggerating” with their health claims, which formed the foundation of the law suit. He then admitted that new technology was a “trial run” but that no one knew anything harmful was coming of it. His demeanor and way of talking was so sincere, that I had no doubt that he was telling me what he truly believed. Our conversation wasn’t mired in aggressive opinions like it often was when the topic of coal was brought up with locals.
Model Coal Cars
It was early dusk by the time I started photographing Paul and his model railroad town, and a heavy plume from the New Haven plant hung over Racine. I made a comment about it and the pollution in Racine, and he shrugged saying, “What can you do about it?” The point is less simplistic than implied. Paul worked his whole life in the coal power plant industry and that’s what he was – a hard-working coal man who was spending the rest of his days modestly enjoying his pension. What could he do about it?
Paul Cardone
Paul Cardone
After I photographed his yard we went into a log cabin he had built as a workshop in his back yard. He pulled out some pamphlets of places he has visited with his wife. He detailed his love of traveling to places with lots of natural splendor. I wanted to read into that, but really, everyone loves traveling to places like that.
Roy Ervin
While photographing Racine’s Party in the Park (posted about below), the man above, Roy, approached me. He said (use your best crackly old man voice), “Excuse me, young man, but have you noticed how many people are smoking at this thing??” I laughed and pointed to the smoke stacks in ironic jest. He admitted to being a little bored with the people he was with and being intrigued by my large format camera. As a side note, once I made the shift to large format, I couldn’t believe how much of a portrait-magnet it was. People can’t seem to help themselves when I’m out and about with this antique slung over my shoulder. Anyways, Roy and I chatted for a bit (I was waiting for better light) and he told me about his years as a geology professor at Kent State and his travels working abroad. After I took his picture, I took down his address. I always make a point of offering to send portrait subjects an image a few months later.
Last week I received this in the mail:
Thanks Roy. My professional photo business definitely needs all the wishes it can get!
Image From Plume.
NPR has posted a follow-up to their original post on Removing Mountains, this time about Plume. Whenever images from the projects I’ve done in Appalachia get posted on websites with a much broader audience than your average photo blog, the comments usually display a variety of political opinions (often heavy-handed) and personal anecdotes. Take a look at the Removing Mountains post here, and the latest on Plume here.
Comments from the Removing Mountains post:
MTR is bullshit. It needs to stop ASAP. No negotiations, talks, Nada. Just stop it all. We are literally blowing up mountains where countless species live and function as well as destroying the livelihood and drinking water for the humans in that area. What is wrong with us?
This is not the end of the story. You should go on to mention mine reclamation efforts that turn depleted mines back into useful pastures, farms, and recreational land.
Artboy, only a tiny fraction of post-MTR land in WV has been “reclaimed.” None are farms or pastures; this is impossible as there’s no topsoil.
In the power generation long-exposure picture, the vast majority of what is coming out of the smoke-stacks is steam, and ALL of what is coming out of the large parabolic towers is steam (H20).
And I’m sure things will soon heat up on the Plume post, with comments like “…this website is probably powered by coal…”
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
As luck would have it, while I was in Ohio, one Saturday brought two interesting opportunities to photograph recreational events put on by different towns, Pomeroy and Racine. Pomeroy is a town located directly between Racine and Cheshire, the two towns I was focusing on due to their proximity to the coal-fired plants. Pomeroy is one of the larger towns in the area, including a small downtown area with local businesses (that are open!). Pomeroy was hosting it’s first annual Veteran’s Appreciation Day, which for all intents and purposes, seemed like a second Veteran’s Day. Racine played host to “Party in the Park.” Both events heavily promoted the appearance of their respective celebrities, Jessica Lynch (!) in Pomeroy, and Joe Diffie performing live in Racine! Excellent photographic fodder.
I arrived early in Pomeroy, as all the different parade groups were preparing their formations and roles for the day.
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day
Pomeroy’s Veteran’s Appreciation Day (Jessica Lynch)
Later that day I went to Racine. The early evening light made what was already a visually dynamic, staunch juxtaposition even more intense.
Racine’s Party in the Park
Racine’s Party in the Park
Racine’s Party in the Park
Racine’s Party in the Park
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