Kris Maher is an American journalist who reports on the environment and the law. His book Desperate: An Epic Battle for Clean Water and Justice in Appalachia (2021) is about a community fighting a coal company. Maher has been a Wall Street Journal reporter since 2005, covering events like the Flint water crisis and the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.
Kris Maher grew up in the US, where he became interested in the environment. After college, Maher wanted to use journalism to make a difference. In 2005, he joined The Wall Street Journal, focusing on industry impact on communities and the environment. He covered the Flint water crisis, PFAS contamination and the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, where he first met environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson.
Maher wrote Desperate after reporting on environmental and legal issues. The book is about Kevin Thompson's seven-year legal battle against Massey Energy, accused of contaminating drinking water in Mingo County, West Virginia. Maher met Thompson after the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion. Thompson worked for the residents from an office in an old hotel, which led Maher to follow the case.
In Desperate, Maher describes how Thompson, lawyers and activists fought Massey Energy's legal team. The book shows the lives of people in the Appalachian community, including retired miners, a preacher, and families in the coal camps of Mingo County. Maher's story shows the problems communities have with industrial pollution.
Maher said he wanted to explore the personal stories behind the legal battle. "It was important to show the human side of the story." Desperate is a mix of investigative reporting and storytelling about the legal, environmental, and social issues related to coal mining in Appalachia.
Kris Maher lives in Pittsburgh with his son and daughter.
Photo credit: krismaherauthor.com
Kris Maher grew up in the US, where he became interested in the environment. After college, Maher wanted to use journalism to make a difference. In 2005, he joined The Wall Street Journal, focusing on industry impact on communities and the environment. He covered the Flint water crisis, PFAS contamination and the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, where he first met environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson.
Maher wrote Desperate after reporting on environmental and legal issues. The book is about Kevin Thompson's seven-year legal battle against Massey Energy, accused of contaminating drinking water in Mingo County, West Virginia. Maher met Thompson after the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion. Thompson worked for the residents from an office in an old hotel, which led Maher to follow the case.
In Desperate, Maher describes how Thompson, lawyers and activists fought Massey Energy's legal team. The book shows the lives of people in the Appalachian community, including retired miners, a preacher, and families in the coal camps of Mingo County. Maher's story shows the problems communities have with industrial pollution.
Maher said he wanted to explore the personal stories behind the legal battle. "It was important to show the human side of the story." Desperate is a mix of investigative reporting and storytelling about the legal, environmental, and social issues related to coal mining in Appalachia.
Kris Maher lives in Pittsburgh with his son and daughter.
Photo credit: krismaherauthor.com
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