Hamilton-Wenham Public Library

Desperate, an epic battle for clean water and justice in Appalachia, Kris Maher

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-321) and index

contains biographical information

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

Desperate

bibliography

1236259443

Kris Maher

an epic battle for clean water and justice in Appalachia

For two decades, the water in the taps and wells of Mingo County didn't look, smell, or taste right. Could it be the root of the health problems--from kidney stones to cancer--in this Appalachian community? Environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson certainly thought so. For seven years, he waged an epic legal battle against Massey Energy, West Virginia's most powerful coal company, helmed by CEO Don Blankenship. While Massey's lawyers worked out of a gray glass office tower in Charleston known as "the Death Star," Thompson set up shop in a ramshackle hotel in the fading coal town of Williamson. Working with fellow lawyers and a crew of young activists, Thompson would eventually uncover the ruthless shortcuts that put the community's drinking water at risk. A respected preacher and his brother, retired coal miners, and women whose families had lived in the area's coal camps for generations, all put their trust in Thompson when they had nowhere else to turn. As he dug deeper into the mystery of the water along a stretch of road where the violence from the legendary Hatfield-McCoy feud still echoes, he was pulled into the darkest corners of Mingo County, risking his finances, his marriage, his career, and even his safety

Black water -- The heart of the billion dollar coal field -- The quantification of intution -- Exodus -- The admiral's den

adult

DesperateEpic battle for clean water and justice in Appalachia