William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review
Abstract
Since the decline of coal, which began in the late 1980s, Appalachia has been left with thousands of abandoned coal mines that act as a stand-in for the state of the region as a whole. This stands in not only for the economic decline of the region, but also as a stand-in for the people of the region who also perceive themselves to have been abandoned. The future status, both legal and economic, of these abandoned mines that once helped to fuel Appalachia’s growth is unclear. Despite the muddied history of both Appalachia and these mines, with the proper legal and economic incentives, both can stand as a testament for revitalization.
In order to properly understand how Appalachia ended up in its current state of affairs, the history of the region must first be examined. While we could go further back than the mass implementation of the industrial revolution, that is when the most impactful period of change occurred for the region. After a short examination of the region’s history, we will turn to its current state. This includes the eventual decline of coal, which has led to stagnation in both economic and population growth, which is quite stark in comparison to the rest of the country, and the fallout of those trends.
Finally, this Note will propose what is to be done with the large number of abandoned coal mines throughout the region. Rather than have these mines sit unused and, in many cases, basically unsupervised, the proposal will be made that they be put to good use. The proposals will suggest that these changes be done in an economically and environmentally advantageous way, which will not only help the region's economy and environment recover, but also provide hope to a region of the United States that has been decimated over the last few decades.
This abstract has been taken from the author's introduction.