'Coal Rush' Documentary: Contaminated Water Film To Screen In Atlanta

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — An independent documentary chronicling the fight that hundreds of southern West Virginia residents waged against Massey Energy over polluted well water will be screened for the first time at the Atlanta Film Festival in Georgia.

"Coal Rush," which premieres March 29 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, was five years in the making. Co-directors Lorena Luciano and Filippo Piscopo say it deals with some of America's most pressing social and environmental issues, documenting the struggles of residents in the Mingo County communities of Rawl, Lick Creek, Merrimac and Sprigg.

Their 7-year-long lawsuit was ultimately settled last summer for $35 million. The terms were supposed to be confidential, but The Associated Press obtained a letter sent to the plaintiffs and reported its contents.

The letter said Massey had offered $35 million besides the $5 million it had previously agreed to put into a fund to cover medical testing.

A judge approved the settlement in December, but residents say they are still waiting for their checks as lawyers wrangle over the details of the payouts in court. A hearing was held last week, but the judges handling the case have sealed the documents and ordered attorneys not to discuss the case.

Massey, now owned by Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources, was accused of destroying the residents' groundwater supplies and poisoning their wells by pumping 1.4 billion gallons of toxic coal slurry into worked-out underground mines between 1978 and 1987.

Slurry is created when coal is washed to help it burn more cleanly. The residents say it seeped out of the old mine workings and into their aquifer, turning their well water varying shades of red, brown and black, and causing ailments ranging from learning disabilities to cancer.

The plaintiffs are now mostly served by a public water system but believe chronic exposure to metals and chemicals are to blame for birth defects and other health problems.

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Online:

Movie site: http://coalrushmovie.com/

Trailer: http://vimeo.com/38251621

Comments

[Gordon Soderberg]

05:12 PM on 03/22/2012

Anyone republican or democrat that tells you there is such a thing as clean coal is lying to you!

[dangerousdaneerfan]

12:09 AM on 03/22/2012

I have lived in WV all my life. The Republicians owning WV is news to me. The Dems own this state in EVERY office. The Repibicians have not controlled the WV Legislature since the 1930's.

[motoGpifupleez]

07:04 PM on 03/22/2012

I read the article and then dropped down here. I didn't think I saw any reference regarding the political affiliation of the office holders so I went back up and read it again. Sure enough, there was none.
What is your point? Are you just trying to throw out a challenge about (D) versus (R) because you think that is going to clean the water in your exploited state?
Keeping citizens at each others throats over trivialities is how the oligarchs and corporations scoop up all the wealth while leaving the suckers nothing but toxic sludge water.
Perhaps you would serve yourself and your children a bit better if you worried less about the (D) and (R) sides of the same corporatist coin and devoted a bit more effort in trying to stop the leveling of the mountains in our state and all the environmental disaster that accompanies it.

[kwaut lizard]

01:13 AM on 03/23/2012

Very well said indeed.
Time to move beyond the bipartisan rhetoric and behave like responsible constituents.

[Kenz300]

03:22 PM on 03/21/2012

The oil and coal companies seem to sponsor the Republican party.

Until Republicans get voted out of office the attacks on clean water, clean air, and clean land will continue.

[mf123]

11:28 AM on 03/22/2012

Unfortunately, big money (i.e. oil and coal) own members of each party. It just appears they own more own more Republicans than Democrats.