By David Novack
Burning the Future: Coal in America challenges the concept of "clean coal", documenting the devastating ecological, social and health impact of coal mining and mountain-top removal. The film follows the explosive forces that have set in motion a groundswell of conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia, where over 1.4 million acres of mountains have been destroyed and groundwater polluted.
Confronted by a US energy policy that favors coal without sufficient regard for the negative impact its extraction causes, local activists organize to arouse the nation and help protect their health, their communities and their way of life.
Reviews
~ "This compelling and timely film burns through the 'clean coal' rhetoric of industry front groups, showing the harsh truth of the coal story." -Bruce Nilles, Director, National Coal Campaign, Sierra Club
~ "A powerful and stirring account of the cultural and ecological impacts of an industry on its last legs - a testimony from the front-lines of resistance to coal." -Rebecca Tarbotton, Global Campaign Director, Rainforest Action Network
~ "…This moving and disturbing story adds the human element to a sanitized political debate by telling the dirty truth about coal in America. -Pam Solo, Founder and President, Civil Society Institute
Awards
~ Pare Lorentz Award Winner, Best Social Documentary of 2008
~ Outstanding Beat/In-Depth Reporting, Television Society of Environmental Journalists
~ Clarion Award Winner for Communication of Diversity, Sustainable Development and Ethical Debate
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