Appalachian Discourse

     As an Environmental Geology major discourse in Appalachia boils down to one thing: Resources. From the abundance of coal, to the recently discovered Marcellus shale needed for fracking, Appalachia seems to be much debated. In my field of work we read journals and research topics effecting certain areas, but of recent the only rhetoric we have been reading is taking place in Appalachia. These topics are very controversial from protecting the land and the people around it, to gaining resources used in our every day life.

      The guest speakers who came to our class towards the end of November helped to exemplify this discourse. One speaker in particular was Elisa Young, and is an anti-coal activist in the Appalachian region. She spoke of the many issues now being debated and how coal mining is so detrimental to the beautiful land in Appalachia. Not only that, many aspects of the coal mining and production have created many health problems for people in those areas. Fracking is the newest form of energy harnessing, and can be found in just about any news paper you pick up.
     While the discourse we read and talked about in class may not have touched as much on this natural resource problem, it is still a highly debated and talked about controversy. From the citizens of Appalachia, to the newspapers on our door steps, natural resources are a big part of Appalachian discourse.

Colton Creal