Few of us realize that every time we flip on a switch, we burn a lump of coal--our shiny white iPod economy is propped up by dirty black rocks. Despite a legacy that has claimed millions of lives and ravaged the environment, coal has become hot again. Our desire to find a homegrown alternative to Mideast oil, the rising cost of oil and natural gas, and the mood in Washington will soon push our coal consumption through the roof. Because we have failed...

This program is a comprehensive chronicle of the coal industry, featuring extensive footage of coal mining through the years. Commentary by labor leaders, coal company presidents, and industrial historians is featured.

On April 5, 2010, an explosion ripped through Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine, killing twenty-nine coal miners. This tragedy was the deadliest mine disaster in the United States in forty years--a disaster that never should have happened. These deaths were rooted in the cynical corporate culture of Massey and its notorious former CEO Don Blankenship, and were part of a cycle of poverty, exploitation, and environmental abuse that has dominated...