Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Drones, activism and mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Inspired by the debates surrounding WV Senate Bill 9 (SB9) which regulates the use of drones around Mountaintop Removal (MTR) Coal Mining Sites, this research project examines the usefulness of drones in environmental activism, especially within the fight against Mountaintop Removal Mining in Appalachia. The paper examines the tactics of such groups as Coal River Mountain Watch, Greenpeace, The Sea Shepherds, and DAPL Protesters. Each of these groups utilizes drones to monitor and expose environmental degradation and exploitation. The use of drones increases the complexity of strategies employed by Appalachian activists and challenges many of the traditionally held but continually critiqued stereotypes present in Appalachian research. Beyond a deeper understanding of Appalachian activism, this paper investigates the ways in which knowledge production and epistemological assumptions are challenged by new technologies such as drones. This paper also evaluates the response of polluters, corporations, and legislators to combat the use of drones by these groups as each side of these issues wrestle with the new realities of drone technology.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Aron Massey is an Assistant Professor of Geography and Planning at West Liberty University, near Wheeling, WV. He is also a Ph.D. student in the department of Geology and Geography at West Virginia University. His research focuses on political ecology of mountaintop removal coal mining and the coal field community members that protest MTR.
Drones, activism and mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia
Inspired by the debates surrounding WV Senate Bill 9 (SB9) which regulates the use of drones around Mountaintop Removal (MTR) Coal Mining Sites, this research project examines the usefulness of drones in environmental activism, especially within the fight against Mountaintop Removal Mining in Appalachia. The paper examines the tactics of such groups as Coal River Mountain Watch, Greenpeace, The Sea Shepherds, and DAPL Protesters. Each of these groups utilizes drones to monitor and expose environmental degradation and exploitation. The use of drones increases the complexity of strategies employed by Appalachian activists and challenges many of the traditionally held but continually critiqued stereotypes present in Appalachian research. Beyond a deeper understanding of Appalachian activism, this paper investigates the ways in which knowledge production and epistemological assumptions are challenged by new technologies such as drones. This paper also evaluates the response of polluters, corporations, and legislators to combat the use of drones by these groups as each side of these issues wrestle with the new realities of drone technology.
