Interviewer
Walter Gallacher
Files
Description
K. Ross Toole discusses energy issues on the Great Plains—Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming—and the resource extraction’s impacts on people and the environment. He describes state and federal agencies that regulate coal mining and power, such as the Department of Natural Resource Conservation, the Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Montana Public Service Commission. He talks about coal and oil companies’ power over both the Montana state and U.S. government, as well as the upcoming OPEC meeting and its influence on U.S. and European economies. Toole discusses environmental groups’ effectiveness, and the effects of environmental contamination on people and the environment. He recalls the Anaconda Company’s Bliss arsenic poisoning case, and discusses the ineffectiveness of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. He compares Progressive Era movements to current regulatory issues, and asserts that the United States can mine and drill safely while still providing jobs.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Energy industry; Great Plains; Coal industry; Oil industry; Department of Natural Resource Conservation; U.S. Forest Service; Environmental Protection Agency; Montana Public Service Commission; Northern Plains Resource Council; Flathead Coalition; U.S. Steel; OPEC; Anaconda Company; Bliss Case; Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act; Progressive Era; Mineral industry; Law and legislation; Natural resource conservation
Original Date
11-12-1976
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Forestry, Land Use, and Conservation Oral History Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 139-001
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 sound cassette (60 min.): analog + 1 transcript (12 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
00:40:52 minutes
Local Filename
OH_139_001.mp3; OH_139_001.pdf
Citation
Toole, K. Ross, "K. Ross Toole Interview, November 12, 1976" (1976). Forestry, Land Use, and Conservation Interviews Oral History Collection. 11.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/forestrylanduseconservation_interviews/11