The Daily Yonder -- a daily source of news, commentary, research, and features about issues facing rural communities -- is currently leading their site with a story by A Thousand Little Cuts team members.

Written by Lead Writer Robert Browman and including images by Director Chad A. Stevens, the story is about the sense of betrayal felt by activists after the EPA seemingly ignored their own guidance and recommended approval of a new mountaintop removal mine permit in West Virginia.

Read the full story by clicking the headline below:

Mountaineers Say EPA Has Backtracked

In April, a turn in the Environmental Protection Agency bouyed Lorelei Scarbro with hope. After many trips to the nation's capitol to oppose mountaintop removal mining, the 54 year old grandmother and coal miner's widow thought the EPA was taking its first steps to abolish the radical coal extraction process that threatens her West Virginia home.

But two weeks ago, the EPA seemingly reversed course. It recommended approval of a major mountaintop removal mine in nearby Logan County, WV, an operation that would level 760 mountain acres, fill three valleys, and destroy more than two miles of streams.

Read the full story on The Daily Yonder.

Visit the SilverDocs site to learn about the festival and conference.

1253 miles. One motorcycle. One excited filmmaker. SilverDocs.

During the third week June the town of Silver Spring, MD changes shape. Documentary filmmakers from around the world come to this DC suburb to watch some of the most impactful docs at the SilverDocs Film Festival and to attend the SilverDocs Filmmaker Conference, which includes a line up of informative Silver Sessions, The Good Pitch, conference presentations and a range of impressive speakers.

This year, to save on fuel costs and to reduce my carbon footprint, I rode my motorcycle over 1200 miles to attend the event and present The Coal War film project to the leading broadcasters and funders in the world. Everyone from Lois Vossen of ITVS to Patricia Finneran of Sundance heard details about The Coal War film. Highlights from the week included amazing presentations during The Good Pitch, the POV presentation and a phenomenal ITVS Grant Writing Workshop with Richard Saiz, the senior programming officer of ITVS's Open Call.

Dear friends,

America’s energy industry has a dirty secret: Our nation’s electricity comes from blasting and leveling our country’s pristine mountains. They do it for one reason: destroying mountains creates more profits, faster, than traditional coal mining.

So, what can concerned citizens do when simply turning on our lights and air conditioners destroys our precious natural areas?

Well, we decided to make a film. And we hope that you’ll help us finish it.

Every penny of the donations we receive will be used to fund the shooting of the final scenes and to cover a month of editing costs.

We hope to send out 500 pre-ordered DVDs, one each to those who donate $25 or more. (Please note - if you donate at the DVD level, the DVD's will be shipped as soon as they are available.) Larger donations will help us meet our goal even faster and will be greatly appreciated!

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. And please explore our site to learn how to get involved, to meet our team and to sign up for our newsletter.

With heartfelt thanks,

Chad and The Coal War Team

by Chad A. Stevens, Director
http://thecoalwar.com/

I'd heard this song before. A song about Harlan, KY, about generations, about coal and grit and life surrounded by mountains. But tonight was different.

"In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
That's the place where I traced my bloodline
And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
'You'll never leave Harlan alive'"

The Coal War team is excited to announce the launch of The Coal War web experience! Explore the site to keep up-to-date about the film and to stay informed about mountaintop removal and Appalachian coal issues.

Keep track of the progress of the film by visiting our Trailer + Video page. Learn about mountaintop removal, climate change and Appalachian coal issues, and see how you can help on our Get Involved page. Visit The Team page to read about the world-class filmmakers, journalists, and advisors working on the film.

Be sure to visit The Coal War Blog, where the team will be posting information about the film, as well as regular updates on all things related to mountaintop removal and coal. Look for original, in-depth stories from the team, the first being a new report by writer Robert Browman, Who's Minding the Mines?, a profile of Massey Energy's controversial CEO Don Blankenship.

Our goal is to be the most comprehensive source of information about mountaintop removal, coal issues, alternative energy, wind energy and coal river mountain, so check back often!

We invite you to join our email newsletter. It is a quarterly, and we will not share your email address with anyone. Thank you friends and soon-to-be friends!

Onward,
Chad A. Stevens
Director, The Coal War