Overburden

Directed by: Chad A. Stevens  Produced by: Catherine Orr and Elena Rue Released: 2015 Running Time: 65 min Language:  English Subjects: Environmental Studies , Conservation & Recreation, Worker's Rights  OVERBURDEN is the story of a fiery, pro-coal right-winger and a tenacious, environmentalist grandmother as they take on the most dangerous coal company in America. These two lives intertwine as Betty and Lorelei unite to rebuild their fractured community. Decades after Barbara Kopple filmed HARLAN COUNTY, USA, the coal industry is now facing extinction, and with an increase in alternative energy and the work of these two courageous women, the epicenter of change may just come from the most unexpected place, the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains.     The gas that caused the explosion was completely invisible. On April 5, 2010 the men working at the Upper Big Branch mine were doing what they always do, mining coal. But when a spark ignited the methane, a fireball ri