The Appalachian Film Festival kicked off the 7th
Annual Appalachian Festival at Frostburg State University on Thursday,
September 14. The first film presented, The Electricity Fairy, was shown at the
Compton Science Center. The filmmakers at Appalshop aim to produce
documentaries that allow the people of Appalachia to tell their stories
themselves.
The Electricity Fairy documents the struggle between the
citizens of Wise County, Virginia and the use of coal as a primary fuel source
in the area. Many Americans spend very little time thinking about just where
their electricity actually comes from. Eugene Mooney described it best when he
said, “They reach up and turn a switch and their electricity comes on. Well,
there’s not a magic electricity fairy around. It’s made by some power plant
some place that feeds on coal.” This very quote gave rise to the documentaries title.
Kathy Selvage of the Southern Appalachia Mountain Stewards
was one of many interviewees that opposed further mining of coal in Appalachia.
However, emotionally she was the one who appeared to have the strongest connection
to the area. In discussing the issue, the crackling of her voice could be heard
on many occasions. Her most emotional moment came when pleading with the
executives at Dominion Power to end the production of a new power plant in her
hometown.
Dominion Power, the largest electricity-producing company in
Appalachia, built a 2 billion dollar coal-firing power plant in Wise County.
Construction was highly opposed by nearly everyone that was not going to gain
financially from the deal. Concerns voiced by the citizens included pollution,
higher electricity rates, global warming, and land preservation. Selvage posed
an important question when she said, “We could live without electricity, but
could we live without clean air and clean water?” Cale Jaffee of the Southern
Environmental Law Center shot down Dominion’s claim to a clean plant by saying
that clean coal is analogous to a healthy cigarette. Student activist Marley
Green made the analogous statement, “Coal is climate change. Coal is the
mercury in our water, the asthma in our lungs, and the soot in our air.”
Despite the uproar with activist groups, environmentalists,
and citizens of Wise County, Dominion Power stood firm in their stance. A clean
power plant was not all that was promised. They also argued that the plant
would offer a safer work environment for miners as well as generate jobs.
Amelia Trent, a Wise County resident who was in support of Dominion Power
mockingly said that if you are not in support of Dominion Power then you should
not start your car, use hot water, or cut lights on because the electricity may
be generated by a coal-firing power plant.
The residents of Wise County were relentless in their fight
to stop the construction of the power plant. They held many hearings, generated a petition,
engaged in protest, and in a desperate last measure, they created a blockade
around the construction site. Big business prevailed. The efforts of the
citizens were not enough. Construction was completed in July.
For more information on The Electricity Fairy, please visit the film's website at www.electricityfairy.com.
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