1. From Villain to Victim: The Coal Industry’s New Image in Appalachian Kentucky Al Cross Director, Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Telecommunications University of Kentucky Dimensions Of Political Ecology conference on Nature and Society March 2, 2013

5. Kayford Mountain, West Virginia

8. Photo by Vivian Stockman, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, via Southwings

9. HARLAN LETCHER

10. Carsey Institute surveys n =1,000 n = 1,020 Margin of error: +/- 3.1 percentage points

11. Possible reasons for changes Local factors unknown to us (not found by follow-up reporting) Great Recession (began soon after first survey; high unemployment still lingers; coal jobs and purchases are key to local economies) Obama administration actions Reaction by other elected officials Reaction by the coal industry

12. 63,000 of these plates were on private vehicles as of February 2013.

13. Another measure of shift in views about coal

16. Big Sandy Plant of Kentucky Power (American Electric Power), Louisa, Ky.

19. Who’s a miner? Tradition: Miners are miners, and operators are operators, labor unions reinforced that Miners’ unions have largely left the region Industry is on the defensive economically, from natural gas, and politically from Obama Industry has played the political victim and responded with PR efforts that have created a sense of regional solidarity Many area residents might now accept business publications’ label for coal companies: “miner”

20. Slides from Downstream Strategies study of Central Appalachian coal May 2013