This Saturday, the UK Beyond Coal campaign held a showing and panel for the documentary Deep Down. The panel included Beverly May and Terry Ratliff, the focuses of the movie, Sally Rubin and Jen Gilomen, the directors of the movie, and Laura Peot, a UK student and Beyond Coal intern.
Coal is an important and controversial issue, especially in Kentucky. 92% of the state’s electricity is generated by coal. The documentary delved into the issue, exploring the tension that coal mining has caused in eastern Kentucky. Maytown, the small community at the center of the movie, is deeply divided by the issue. While some, like Beverly May, are determined to send the coal companies out of the region, other are looking to maintain the status quo.
According to May, “you don’t regulate an abomination; you stop it.”
