University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 5-2018 Killing Martin county : resiliency in a central Appalachian community. David Adam Sizemore University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Part of the Environmental Studies Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, and the Rural Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Sizemore, David Adam, "Killing Martin county : resiliency in a central Appalachian community." (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2937. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/2937 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. KILLING MARTIN COUNTY: RESILIENCY IN A CENTRAL APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY By David Adam Sizemore B.S. Morehead State University, 2012 B.S. Morehead State University, 2012 M.A. Morehead State University, 2014 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Louisville In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Sociology Department of Sociology University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky May 2018 Copyright 2018 by David Adam Sizemore All rights reserved ii KILLING MARTIN COUNTY: RESILIENCY IN A CENTRAL APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY By David Adam Sizemore B.S. Morehead State University, 2012 B.S. Morehead State University, 2012 M.A. Morehead State University, 2014 A Dissertation Approved on April 11th, 2018 By the following Dissertation Committee ________________________________________ Dissertation Director, Dr. Lauren Heberle ________________________________________ Dr. Patricia Gagne ________________________________________ Dr. Deborah Potter ________________________________________ Dr. Lisa Markowitz ________________________________________ Dr. Suzanne Tallichet ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to everyone living in Martin County, Ky. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I want to thank each member of my committee personally. Dr. Lauren Heberle, your continual mentorship, and support guided me through every step of this research. For that, I am eternally grateful. I would also like to thank you for strengthening my knowledge and passion for studying environmental issues. Dr. Patricia Gagne, you were always there, regardless of time of day, to answer methodological questions. Dr. Deborah Potter, your teaching, and expertise in public policy helped strengthen and focus this dissertation. Dr. Lisa Markowitz, you not only provided valuable insight for this research but also showed me the importance of interdisciplinary research. Lastly, Dr. Suzanne Tallichet, you instilled in me a devotion to study Central Appalachia. To every one of you, thank you! To my wife, Erin Sizemore, and daughter, Norah Fern Sizemore, you supported and guided me throughout this process. I could not have done this without you. I love you, both! Dr. Brandon McReynolds, your support, and constructive criticism will never be repaid. Dr. Kent Pugh, thank you for providing the maps for this research. You are two of the greatest friends I will ever know. To the Sociology Department at UofL, thank you for giving me this opportunity. Every faculty member strengthened my understanding of sociology. iv Last but not least, I must show my utmost appreciation for those from Martin County who agreed to include their voice in this research. This project could not have happened without your contribution. For that, I will forever appreciate your support. ABSTRACT KILLING MARTIN COUNTY: RESILIENCY IN A CENTRAL APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY David A. Sizemore April 11, 2018 Environmental stressors, anything that poses a threat to human and environmental health, are disproportionately located in marginalized communities. Coal extraction companies produce and concentrate environmental stressors in Central Appalachia, a sub- region of Appalachia with high poverty rates and economic hardship. Through destructive coal extraction methods, the coal industry has jeopardized Central Appalachian health and environmental quality. The coal industry’s power to cause destruction in Central Appalachia is a product of historical strategic initiatives. Since the late 1800s, the coal industry has forcefully altered the culture and ideology of Central Appalachians and developed relationships with local, state, and federal policymakers to deter policy that threatens extraction. Thus, coal companies can cause environmental disasters with minimal backlash from Central Appalachians and policymakers. This research used an environmental justice framework, alongside a framework of resiliency, to understand the human response following two coal-based disasters in Martin County, Kentucky, a Central Appalachian county. The first disaster occurred on October 11, 2000, when a coal impoundment ruptured and discharged over 300 million gallons of coal slurry into Martin County. The second disaster is the gradual deterioration of Martin County’s water infrastructure over time. This research used grounded theory methods to understand personal experiences of each disaster, feelings towards external assistance, and how residents viewed resiliency in their community. More specifically, this research collected data from 22 semi-structured interviews with vocal residents and observations at four public water meetings. Findings suggest the coal industry, a silent community, and the lack of political oversight influenced historical adaptation of coal-based environmental stressors. Thus, findings further suggest coal’s exodus from Central Appalachia engendered community support to resist long-term adaptation of coal-based environmental stressors. Furthermore, these findings inform a path for understanding the broader Central Appalachian region. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xi LIST OF MAPS ............................................................................................................ xii CHAPTER 1: THE INTRODUCTION............................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2: THE LITERATURE ................................................................................. 7 The Appalachian Region: ............................................................................................ 8 Environmental Justice: .............................................................................................. 17 Coal-Based Environmental Stressors in Central Appalachia: .................................... 23 The Persistence of Coal-Based Environmental Stressors in Central Appalachia ........ 29 Disaster Resiliency and Environmental Justice: ........................................................ 38 CHAPTER 3: THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................. 44 CHAPTER 4: THE METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 48 CHAPTER 5: THE SPILL ............................................................................................ 62 The Day of: ............................................................................................................... 62 The Days Following: ................................................................................................. 66 The Government Response: ....................................................................................... 69 The Power of Coal: ................................................................................................... 72 The Memory of the Spill: ........................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER 6: THE WATER ......................................................................................... 78 “I Invite Anyone To Come See How I Live”: Experiences With Poor Water Quality . 78 “Y'all Got A Leak!: The Infrastructure ....................................................................... 86 “They’re Greedy Little Bastards!”: The Mismanagement of Local Government ........ 90 “We Are Fighting For Our Lives”: Organizing For Change ..................................... 95 CHAPTER 7: THE FUTURE ...................................................................................... 100 viii CHAPTER 8: THE DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ........................................... 107 Resiliency In Martin County: ................................................................................... 107 Adaptation In Martin County: ................................................................................