One doctor's courageous fight to save a small town from a silent epidemic that threatened the community's future--and exposed a national health crisis. When Dr. Will Cooke, an idealistic young physician just out of medical training, set up practice in the small rural community of Austin, Indiana, he had no idea that much of the town was being torn apart by poverty, addiction, and life-threatening illnesses. But he soon found himself at the crossroads of two unprecedented health-care disasters: a national opioid epidemic and the worst drug-fueled HIV outbreak ever seen in rural America. Confronted with Austin's hidden secrets, Dr. Cooke decided he had to do something about them. In taking up the fight for Austin's people, however, he would have to battle some unanticipated foes: prejudice, political resistance, an entrenched bureaucracy--and the dark despair that threatened to overwhelm his own soul. Canary in the Coal Mine is a gripping account of the transformation of a man and his adopted community, a compelling and ultimately hopeful read in the vein of Hillbilly Elegy, Dreamland, and Educated.
Contains background information on the chemical and physical properties of coal--its nature, origins, various types and classification on a global basis. Highlights currently known geographical distribution of coals, their ages, recent production figures and major exporter countries. Essential exploration techniques and procedures, together with standards of geological practice, are described. The geologist's role in data collection, sampling, the calculation of resources/reserves, geotechnical studies as well as the preparation of geological reports are examined.
Coal will continue to provide a major portion of energy requirements in the United States for at least the next several decades. It is imperative that accurate information describing the amount, location, and quality of the coal resources and reserves be available to fulfill energy needs. It is also important that the United States extract its coal resources efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner. A renewed focus on federal support for coal-related research, coordinated across agencies and with the active participation of the states and industrial sector, is a critical element for each of these requirements. Coal focuses on the research and development needs and priorities in the areas of coal resource and reserve assessments, coal mining and processing, transportation of coal and coal products, and coal utilization.
Deep in the heart of the southern West Virginia coalfields, one of the most important environmental and social empowerment battles in the nation has been waged for the past decade. Fought by a heroic woman struggling to save her tiny community through a landmark lawsuit, this battle, which led all the way to the halls of Congress, has implications for environmentally conscious people across the world. The story begins with Patricia Bragg in the tiny community of Pie. When a deep mine drained her neighbors’ wells, Bragg heeded her grandmother’s admonition to “fight for what you believe in” and led the battle to save their drinking water. Though she and her friends quickly convinced state mining officials to force the coal company to provide new wells, Bragg’s fight had only just begun. Soon large-scale mining began on the mountains behind her beloved hollow. Fearing what the blasting off of mountaintops would do to the humble homes below, she joined a lawsuit being pursued by attorney Joe Lovett, the first case he had ever handled. In the case against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Bragg v. Robertson), federal judge Charles Haden II shocked the coal industry by granting victory to Joe Lovett and Patricia Bragg and temporarily halting the practice of mountaintop removal. While Lovett battled in court, Bragg sought other ways to protect the resources and safety of coalfield communities, all the while recognizing that coal mining was the lifeblood of her community, even of her own family (her husband is a disabled miner). The years of Bragg v. Robertson bitterly divided the coalfields and left many bewildered by the legal wrangling. One of the state’s largest mines shut down because of the case, leaving hardworking miners out of work, at least temporarily. Despite hurtful words from members of her church, Patricia Bragg battled on, making the two-hour trek to the legislature in Charleston, over and over, to ask for better controls on mine blasting. There Bragg and her friends won support from delegate Arley Johnson, himself a survivor of one of the coalfield’s greatest disasters. Award-winning investigative journalist Penny Loeb spent nine years following the twists and turns of this remarkable story, giving voice both to citizens, like Patricia Bragg, and to those in the coal industry. Intertwined with court and statehouse battles is Patricia Bragg’s own quiet triumph of graduating from college summa cum laude in her late thirtie and moving her family out of welfare and into prosperity and freedom from mining interests. Bragg’s remarkable personal triumph and the victories won in Pie and other coalfield communities will surprise and inspire readers.
This book teaches readers ground engineering principles and related mining and risk management practices associated with underground coal mining. It establishes the basic elements of risk management and the fundamental principles of ground behaviour and then applies these to the essential building blocks of any underground coal mining system, comprising excavations, pillars, and interactions between workings. Readers will also learn about types of ground support and reinforcement systems and their operating mechanisms. These elements provide the platform whereby the principles can be applied to mining practice and risk management, directed primarily to bord and pillar mining, pillar extraction, longwall mining, sub-surface and surface subsidence, and operational hazards. The text concludes by presenting the framework of risk-based ground control management systems for achieving safe workplaces and efficient mining operations. In addition, a comprehensive reference list provides additional sources of information on the subject. Throughout, a large variety of examples show good and bad mining situations in order to demonstrate the application, or absence, of the established principles in practice. Written by an expert in underground coal mining and risk management, this book will help students and practitioners gain a deep understanding of the basic principles behind designing and conducting mining operations that are safe, efficient, and economically viable. Provides a comprehensive coverage of ground engineering principles within a risk management framework Features a large variety of examples that show good and poor mining situations in order to demonstrate the application of the established principles in practice Ideal for students and practitioners About the author Emeritus Professor Jim Galvin has a relatively unique combination of industrial, research and academic experience in the mining industry that spans specialist research and applied knowledge in ground engineering, mine management and risk management. His career encompasses directing ground engineering research groups in South Africa and Australia; practical mining experience, including active participation in the mines rescue service and responsibility for the design, operation, and management of large underground coal mines and for the consequences of loss of ground control as a mine manager; appointments as Professor and Head of the School of Mining Engineering at the University of New South Wales; and safety advisor to a number of Boards of Directors of organisations associated with mining. Awards Winner of the ACARP Excellence Research Award 2016. The Australian Coal Industry's Research Program selects recipients to receive ACARP Research and Industry Excellence Awards every two years. The recipients are selected on the recommendation of technical committees. They are honored for achievement of a considerable advance in an area of importance to the Australian coal mining industry. An important criterion is the likelihood of the results from the project being applied in mines. Winner of the Merv Harris Award from the Mine Managers Association of Australia. The Merv Harris Award is named for Merv Harris who donated money to be invested for a continuing award in 1988. With the award, the Mine Managers Association of Australia honors members of the Association who demonstrate technical achievement in the Australian Coal Mining Industry. The first award was granted in 1990, since then, only two people have received this honor. The book has received the following awards.... AGS (Australian Geomechanics Society) congratulates Dr Galvin for these awards
