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Thesis--University of Missouri, School of Mines and Metallurgy, 1914. / The entire thesis text is included in file. Typescript. Illustrated by author. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed April 7, 2009)

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This dissertation contends that efforts to reduce air pollution in Birmingham, Alabama, from the 1940s through the early 1970s relied on citizens who initially resisted federal involvement but eventually realized that they needed Washington's help. These activists had much in common with clean air groups in other U.S. cities, but they were somewhat less successful because of formidable industrial opposition. In the 1940s the political power of the Alabama coal industry kept Birmingham from following the example of cities that switched to cleaner-burning fuels. The coal industry's influence on Alabama politics had waned somewhat by the late 1960s, but U.S. Steel and its allies wielded enough political power in 1969 to win passage of a weak air pollution law over one favored by activists. Throughout this period the federal government gradually increased its involvement in Alabama's air pollution politics, culminating in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the enactment of environmental laws that empowered federal officials to pressure Alabama to pass a revised 1971 air pollution law that met national standards. After the passage of this law, but before the appointment of an air pollution control board to enforce it, a federal judge temporarily shut down Birmingham-area industries at the request of the Environmental Protection Agency, the first time that the agency had used such emergency powers. Over time, grassroots activists in Birmingham came to the realization that their efforts were doomed to fail, or at least to be significantly delayed, without the aid of the federal government. For nearly twenty-five years after the enactment of the 1945 smoke ordinance, supporters of air pollution control wanted the state government to deal with the problem of air pollution, with the federal government only providing technical expertise and funding for scientific research. But with their defeat in the 1969 legislative session, when the industry-backed air pollution bill passed, clean air campaigners in Alabama realized--and publicly stated--that only pressure from Washington would force Montgomery to clean up Alabama's air.

This rhetorical analysis of a coal advocacy and a coal-critical environmentalist organization examines how each group constitutes different West Virginian identities that accord with their organizational mission. Based on the constitutive concepts advanced by Edwin Black, Maurice Charland, and Michael McGee, this study has analyzed the ideological narratives, which underlie each argument, and which call into existence two antagonistic West Virginian identities. Whereas the coal industry conceives of a dutiful West Virginian people, who take pride in providing energy to the nation and fueling its economy, the environmentalists interpellate a primitive people who live at the mercy of their environment. In a father-child relationship, the groups take oppositional roles in a mutually constructed drama. Hence, this constitutive analysis of two public opponents strongly suggests that public activist groups derive their identities from conflict and are thus disinterested in resolving their disagreement. / Master of Arts

This thesis deploys world-systems theory to analyze two series of mid-twentieth century wildcat strikes in the Appalachian coalfields: the Eastern Kentucky-based Roving Picket Movement of 1962-1963 and a separate set of unauthorized strikes throughout the region that lasted from 1974-1978, with a particular focus on the Gas Strike of 1974, the strikes surrounding the 1974 Kanawha Country book boycott, and the 1977-1978 contract strike. More specifically, I will examine the New Communist Movement's (NCM) role in these strikes, with special emphasis on the Maoist-inspired Progressive Labor (PL)'s participation in the 1962-1963 strikes and the role of the Miner's Right to Strike Committee (MRSC), a project of the Revolutionary Union/Revolutionary Communist Party in the 1970s wildcats. I argue that PL and the MRSC's divergent experiences demonstrate the shift from the first to the second anti-systemic movement. PL's experience working with the strikers was more typical of the first anti-systemic movement; the MRSC's experience was more typical of the second anti-systemic movement. The two sets of NCM organizers' varying levels of success, different approaches to the New Social Movements, and different interactions with structural forces at play in the world-system all point to the shift in anti-systemic movements. / Master of Arts

Au cours des dernières années l'industrie du charbon a connu un essor important. L'importance du charbon dans l'économie mondiale provient d'une demande mondiale soutenue et de niveaux de production en hausse constante. De ce fait, le nombre élevé d'importateurs et d'exportateurs est à l'origine d'un système d'échange complexe où la compétition est féroce. En effet, un nombre grandissant de pays importateurs se partagent les sources d'approvisionnement tandis qu'un nombre limité de pays exportateurs s'efforcent de répondre à la demande tout en essayant de s'accaparer le plus de parts du marché mondial. L'objectif de cette recherche s'inscrit dans ce contexte en démontrant les bénéfices associés aux chaînes logistiques résilientes pour tout acteur de l'industrie soucieux de devancer la compétition. Une analyse de la logistique de l'industrie du charbon permet entre autres de se pencher sur les questions suivantes: Comment les infrastructures influencent-elles la résilience d'une chaîne logistique? Quels risques est-ce que les catastrophes naturelles présentent pour une chaîne logistique? Comment la gouvernance influence-t-elle la résilience d'une chaîne logistique? Une chaîne logistique représente le trajet effectué par un bien ou produit au cours de son cycle de vie, du point d'origine au point de consommation. Ceci étant dit, le meilleur moyen de régler les problèmes inhérents aux chaînes logistiques est de maintenir de hauts niveaux de résilience. Cette recherche évaluera donc la résilience de chaînes logistiques du charbon des industries australienne, sud-africaine et canadienne. Pour ce faire, trois variables seront étudiées: les infrastructures, les catastrophes naturelles et la gouvernance. La comparaison des trois cas à l'étude se fera par un nombre défini d'indicateurs (12 au total) pour chacune des variables étudiées. Les résultats de cette recherche démontrent que la résilience des trois cas à l'étude se ressemble. Cependant, certaines chaînes logistiques détiennent des avantages comparatifs qui améliorent grandement leur résilience et leur compétitivité. Plusieurs sujets de recherche pourraient être utilisés pour compléter cette recherche. L'analyse comparative pourrait être appliquée à d'autres chaînes logistiques pour vérifier la viabilité des résultats. Une analyse semblable pourrait également être entreprise pour le secteur en aval de la chaîne logistique. Finalement, une méthodologie basée sur des interviews pourrait ajouter un regard différent sur les questions abordées. / In recent years, the importance of coal in the world economy has been put to the forefront by a strong demand and consequently, increasing levels of production. The increasing number of buyers and the limited number of sellers has created a system where competition is fiercer than ever. On one hand, importing countries are trying to secure sources of supply while on the other hand, exporting countries are striving to meet demand and secure as many export markets as possible. In this context, the objective of this research paper is to demonstrate how resilient logistics chains can help decision makers of the industry to stay ahead of the competition. To do this, an analysis of the logistics chain of the industry is the best way to verify whether or not the industry is operating as well as it should be. Such an analysis allows us to tackle the following issues: How do infrastructure issues impact the resilience of the logistics chain? What risks do environmental hazards pose to the logistics chain? Does governance have a positive or negative influence on the resilience of the logistics chain? “Logistics chain” designates the journey of any kind of product or commodity through the various steps of its life from its creation or point of origin to its point of consumption. This being said, the best way to solve problems in the logistics chain is to find ways to maintain high levels of resilience. This research paper will evaluate the resilience of logistics chains within the Australian, South African and Canadian coal industries. This evaluation will be based on three variables: infrastructures, environment and governance. The methodology necessary to accomplish this task is based on twelve indicators. As the main evaluation tool, these indicators are used to compare the case studies in the context of each variable. The results of this research paper show that the three case studies have similar levels of resilience. However, some case studies have areas in which they outperform their counterparts. While this research provides an in-depth look at the coal industry, several research avenues could still be explored. First of all, expanding the comparative analysis to different coal exporters could add nuance. This task could be undertaken in a different research paper providing decision makers with even more examples of how to improve resilience. A similar comparative approach could also be applied to the downstream section of the logistics chain. Furthermore, a methodology based on interviews with stakeholders could bring in a new perspective on the issue at hand.

Au cours des dernières années l'industrie du charbon a connu un essor important. L'importance du charbon dans l'économie mondiale provient d'une demande mondiale soutenue et de niveaux de production en hausse constante. De ce fait, le nombre élevé d'importateurs et d'exportateurs est à l'origine d'un système d'échange complexe où la compétition est féroce. En effet, un nombre grandissant de pays importateurs se partagent les sources d'approvisionnement tandis qu'un nombre limité de pays exportateurs s'efforcent de répondre à la demande tout en essayant de s'accaparer le plus de parts du marché mondial. L'objectif de cette recherche s'inscrit dans ce contexte en démontrant les bénéfices associés aux chaînes logistiques résilientes pour tout acteur de l'industrie soucieux de devancer la compétition. Une analyse de la logistique de l'industrie du charbon permet entre autres de se pencher sur les questions suivantes: Comment les infrastructures influencent-elles la résilience d'une chaîne logistique? Quels risques est-ce que les catastrophes naturelles présentent pour une chaîne logistique? Comment la gouvernance influence-t-elle la résilience d'une chaîne logistique? Une chaîne logistique représente le trajet effectué par un bien ou produit au cours de son cycle de vie, du point d'origine au point de consommation. Ceci étant dit, le meilleur moyen de régler les problèmes inhérents aux chaînes logistiques est de maintenir de hauts niveaux de résilience. Cette recherche évaluera donc la résilience de chaînes logistiques du charbon des industries australienne, sud-africaine et canadienne. Pour ce faire, trois variables seront étudiées: les infrastructures, les catastrophes naturelles et la gouvernance. La comparaison des trois cas à l'étude se fera par un nombre défini d'indicateurs (12 au total) pour chacune des variables étudiées. Les résultats de cette recherche démontrent que la résilience des trois cas à l'étude se ressemble. Cependant, certaines chaînes logistiques détiennent des avantages comparatifs qui améliorent grandement leur résilience et leur compétitivité. Plusieurs sujets de recherche pourraient être utilisés pour compléter cette recherche. L'analyse comparative pourrait être appliquée à d'autres chaînes logistiques pour vérifier la viabilité des résultats. Une analyse semblable pourrait également être entreprise pour le secteur en aval de la chaîne logistique. Finalement, une méthodologie basée sur des interviews pourrait ajouter un regard différent sur les questions abordées. / In recent years, the importance of coal in the world economy has been put to the forefront by a strong demand and consequently, increasing levels of production. The increasing number of buyers and the limited number of sellers has created a system where competition is fiercer than ever. On one hand, importing countries are trying to secure sources of supply while on the other hand, exporting countries are striving to meet demand and secure as many export markets as possible. In this context, the objective of this research paper is to demonstrate how resilient logistics chains can help decision makers of the industry to stay ahead of the competition. To do this, an analysis of the logistics chain of the industry is the best way to verify whether or not the industry is operating as well as it should be. Such an analysis allows us to tackle the following issues: How do infrastructure issues impact the resilience of the logistics chain? What risks do environmental hazards pose to the logistics chain? Does governance have a positive or negative influence on the resilience of the logistics chain? “Logistics chain” designates the journey of any kind of product or commodity through the various steps of its life from its creation or point of origin to its point of consumption. This being said, the best way to solve problems in the logistics chain is to find ways to maintain high levels of resilience. This research paper will evaluate the resilience of logistics chains within the Australian, South African and Canadian coal industries. This evaluation will be based on three variables: infrastructures, environment and governance. The methodology necessary to accomplish this task is based on twelve indicators. As the main evaluation tool, these indicators are used to compare the case studies in the context of each variable. The results of this research paper show that the three case studies have similar levels of resilience. However, some case studies have areas in which they outperform their counterparts. While this research provides an in-depth look at the coal industry, several research avenues could still be explored. First of all, expanding the comparative analysis to different coal exporters could add nuance. This task could be undertaken in a different research paper providing decision makers with even more examples of how to improve resilience. A similar comparative approach could also be applied to the downstream section of the logistics chain. Furthermore, a methodology based on interviews with stakeholders could bring in a new perspective on the issue at hand.