WEBVTT

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- Will Rogers once said...

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Somebody asked him about land,
and he said,

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\"Well, they just
don\'t make much of it anymore.\"

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And we need... the Lord intends
for us to be good stewards

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of what he gave us,
and we did a terrible job here.

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We did a terrible job.

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- [singing] Oh

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Seen life, seen life

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- Knew nothing about Picher.

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I\'d spent half
of a football game

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in Picher, Oklahoma,
back in 1984.

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It was dark.

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Didn\'t have the opportunity
to appreciate the scenic view

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that Picher offers
with the chat piles,

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so I knew nothing, really,
about Picher at all.

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It became obvious fairly quickly
to me that, you know,

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we had a higher percentage
of kids

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that demonstrated more
difficulty in the classroom.

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Super kids, but they had...
They struggled.

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- We knew we had some problems
with the kids out there.

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- Little Chad...
I kind of hesitate to, you know,

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delve into it,
talk that much about it,

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because, well, he is our son,

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and we want him to be as normal

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as anybody else\'s kids,
you know.

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He has problems.

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- And I said, \"Well, you need
to come down here and see

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what we\'ve got.\"

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And I said,
\"It\'ll blow your mind.\"

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So they run up here and took
a bunch of blood samples

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from these
Quapaw Indian children.

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And, man, they found
high lead counts.

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That\'s when it started,
right there.

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But, see, they wouldn\'t ever
come in here

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and check the kids in Picher.

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The health department wouldn\'t...
Oklahoma.

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But then they started checking,
and they found a monster.

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- [singing] Ooh

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Oh, oh, oh

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That old white line

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Boys, is coming to an end

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- And so we actually went
door-to-door

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in the mining communities
and knocked on doors

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and found out how many people
had children six and under.

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And could we do lead testing
on those children?

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And we tested
a little over 100 kids

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and found out that 43% of those
kids had elevated blood leads.

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Myers: [whistles]

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- So the extent of that
was really shocking.

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- And the EPA came and did
a risk assessment,

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human health risk assessment,

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as well as finally did
a record of decision,

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and they felt like
the primary risk...

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Or primary pathway
was through dirt.

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And some of the yards
tested very high

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in terms of lead toxicity.

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When you think about
where kids get lead,

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they\'re really at increased risk
for a couple of reasons.

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One is, a child absorbs
more lead through the gut

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than an adult does,
about 50% more.

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But with
pediatric lead toxicity,

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it causes what we call
developmental issues.

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It\'s only of importance between
zero and six years of age,

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and it affects the developing
neurologic system,

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mostly what we consider
to be soft neurologic signs:

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school issues
more than medical issues.

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So that\'s really the difference.

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The trouble is, you can\'t
ever make that go away.

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Once it occurs, it\'s permanent.

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Myers: How does a place
get this bad?

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Some old cities are colored
with lead paint,

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yet you don\'t hear
of levels this high.

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When you tell someone
about lead poisoning like this,

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they need an explanation,
but words don\'t quite do it.

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And with this much lead waste,
43% feels like a success;

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it could have been 100%.

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People don\'t realize
that Tar Creek

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was declared a disaster

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a decade before they even
discovered the lead poisoning.

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But they checked the kids

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ten years after the land
had been condemned

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without thinking one
might be connected to the other.

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Back then, they thought
if you fixed the soil,

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that would fix the children.

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But you can\'t fix this land
while the waste sits here.

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And you can\'t leave kids here

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while you take several decades
to move all of it.

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Well, I thought they couldn\'t.

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- When they took ore, the rock,
out of the ground,

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within that rock,
there are all of the minerals

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they were looking for: lead,
zinc, cadmium, everything else.

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And they would crush it,
break it,

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smelt it to get
the minerals out,

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to get the metals out.

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And then the little chips
of rock that are left,

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we call it chat.

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Well, it\'s tailings.

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It\'s the tailings
from the mines,

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what\'s left over
from the stuff they didn\'t use.

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- They\'re real inviting.

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You know, I have to admit it
myself, as an adult,

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when I first saw the chat piles,
I just...

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I just couldn\'t imagine

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how it wouldn\'t be
the funnest thing in the world

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to get up there
and roll down them,

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slide down them,
four-wheel down them, anything.

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As a child, can you just imagine
looking at something

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that looks like
a gigantic sand pile

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and be told,
\"No, you can\'t go up there.\"

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I can\'t imagine that.

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- We used to also play on \'em.

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In the wintertime
when the snow and ice is on,

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we used to go
to a local salvage yard

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and get a car hood.

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And you\'ve never had a good time
till you come off

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one of these chat piles
with snow and ice with the...

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In a car hood, especially
with two or three aboard.

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- Picher and Cardin,

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that\'s where
most of the risk would be,

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because you have so much metals
on the surface

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still surrounding the area.

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And even if my yard\'s clean,
if I\'m a little kid,

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you\'d be hard-pressed
to keep me from playing

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out in some of those areas
at least, you know.

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I\'d be off doing something.

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- I mean, at one time,
the Eagle Picher Mine itself

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was 1/4 mile high.

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You could see it
from downtown Main

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of Miami, Oklahoma.

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- You\'d go away,
and you\'d think,

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\"Man, there are some
really big piles there,\"

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and you\'d remember the biggest,
hugest, four, five, six piles

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right there around Picher.

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But you keep driving around,
you know, for miles,

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and you forget, \"Oh, yeah,

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\"there\'s chat bases over here
where piles used to be.

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\"Oh, yeah,
there\'s mill ponds over here.

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\"Oh, yeah, there\'s piles
the size of a house

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that I forget about,\"

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or the size
of an office building

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that you forget about
because they\'re just dwarfed

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by the big ones.

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The volume here is hard
to describe.

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- People don\'t realize
how mined-out it is.

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The chat piles up there,
they\'re humongous,

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but most of that
has been hauled away.

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- A problem with moving chat
in that what\'s left behind

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is far more dangerous
than what they take.

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What\'s left behind
are the small fine materials,

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which are much
more bioavailable,

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which means that they can be
absorbed easier by the stomach.

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And secondly, they\'re also
much higher in lead content,

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about 1,000 times higher
in lead content

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than the gravel people
associate with the word \"chat.\"

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- Most of the chat piles
you see out there

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are made of this
coarse material,

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but then this other group,

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larger concentrations of metals
are in this size of mine waste.

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Of course, you can imagine
that this stuff\'s

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not going to blow
near as much as this stuff.

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So this, these fine particles,
get blown around,

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and they have
the highest concentrations

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of metals in them.

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If it gets deposited
in a residential yard,

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children can ingest it.

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You know, it\'s just
a lot more mobile.

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A long time ago,
residents in Picher

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used to come out on Sunday
and have picnics on the beach.

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They were actually having
picnics on these fine tailings.

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- I had been doing some research
about lead poisoning

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and the effects
on lead poisoning

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and was looking through
a tiny little publication

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that comes out.

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Had found that exposure to lead

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between ages 7 and 21

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led to extreme obesity
in later life.

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And as a high school counselor

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dealing with young people
with eating disorders

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and with youth
that have trouble learning...

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Had a lot of dealings
with those kind of kids.

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And one particular student
stood out to me,

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and I knew
that she\'d grown up in Quapaw

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and she had a chat pile
on her property.

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Her dad had built her a sandbox.

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And in that sand,
he\'d taken not the gravel,

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but he had taken the fines.

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- There\'s no doubt in my mind
that somebody knew

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what lead could possibly do
to your health.

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And they didn\'t tell nobody.

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[bluesy acoustic guitar music]

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Myers: With this much chat,

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the kids
didn\'t hardly stand a chance.

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And I wish I could say that all
the problems begin and end

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with chat piles
and elevated blood leads

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or that there was
only one problem to solve.

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But this chat is just
a throwaway

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from one of the largest
lead strikes on the planet.

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Tri-State produced
35% of all metals worldwide

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for over a decade.

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Every one of these problems

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was struck from the walls
in these mines.

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Now, we did need this metal
during the World Wars,

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so the government kept
these mines humming.

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Remember that rock
I was talking about?

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Yeah, this is where
those ripples start.

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- My grandfather, he was the one

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that discovered the lead
and zinc at Commerce

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way back, oh,
probably around 1904.

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But they was drilling
a water well

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on the southwest
part of Commerce.

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Grandpa got a hold of them
and told them to get back here,

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that they had something big.

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- The Picher Field sprung up
about 1912,

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and when the Picher Field
got started,

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it was the wealthiest strike
that they had had yet.

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- They put me on
a powdering job.

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The two powder monkeys...

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That\'s the guys that loads
the dynamite

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into the drill holes.

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The only time
I was really scared

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was when I would hit
that stick of dynamite

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and them machine men,
the guys that drilled the holes,

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would turn that machine on,

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and it was really loud
when they turned that on.

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I mean, you hit that dynamite,

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and then they
turn that machine on,

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and you kind of flinch
a little bit, you know.

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- I started in summer of 1941.

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I was 16.

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I went to service early in \'43,

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and my ship got hit
by a kamikaze

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early in \'44,
and I was discharged.

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And when I came back
from the Navy,

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I went to work in the ground
with my dad over at old Dobson.

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It was kind of funny,
because he was still

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pretty much of a horse.

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He could shovel that dirt.

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So I went to shoveling
over there.

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The lay-by was over here,

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and they\'d bring in
a seven-can string of empties,

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and he\'d get five of those
while I was getting two,

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and I liked to kill myself
trying to catch up with him.

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- And he was a screen ape.

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Making little ones out of
big ones with a sledgehammer.

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[laughter]

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And that...
That is a job at times,

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especially when they would go in
there and shoot down the roof.

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When they shoot down the roof,

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it just brings
a lot of rock down,

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boulders as big as cars
and things like that, you know.

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It grows on a person
to work in the mines,

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the temperature,
and I liked the smell.

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When we was kids,

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we played around the shafts
in Commerce, you know,

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and we\'d always go in
them shafts and smell the shaft,

00:12:31.967 --> 00:12:35.632
that air coming out of them.

00:12:35.633 --> 00:12:38.600
- [singing]
Boy, don\'t you cry for me

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- Everyone knows about
the Trail of Tears

00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:48.432
of the Cherokee Nation.

00:12:48.433 --> 00:12:51.699
All 39 tribes in Oklahoma

00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:54.132
have a Trail of Tears story.

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The Quapaws are no exception.

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- The Quapaws are originally
from the Mississippi Delta.

00:12:59.533 --> 00:13:03.099
The mouth of the Arkansas River,
Mississippi River,

00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:06.132
all the way across southern
Oklahoma was our original lands.

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- They were discovered there
in 1767 by the French,

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and at the time of discovery,
it was estimated

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that the Quapaws could field
7,000 to 8,000 warriors,

00:13:18.733 --> 00:13:22.332
which put the estimate
of population

00:13:22.333 --> 00:13:24.732
at about 35,000 Quapaw.

00:13:24.733 --> 00:13:27.666
The major village was O-Gah-Pah.

00:13:27.667 --> 00:13:30.699
Today they call themselves
O-Gah-Pah.

00:13:30.700 --> 00:13:35.299
\"Quapaw\" is a French perversion
of \"O-Gah-Pah,\"

00:13:35.300 --> 00:13:40.366
and it just kind
of fell that way.

00:13:40.367 --> 00:13:46.966
So here in 1767,
a smallpox plague hits the tribe

00:13:46.967 --> 00:13:50.566
and begins to wipe them out,

00:13:50.567 --> 00:13:52.032
and you can read it
in the record,

00:13:52.033 --> 00:13:53.232
in the Congressional record.

00:13:53.233 --> 00:13:54.432
I\'ve read it.

00:13:54.433 --> 00:13:57.832
It says that the Quapaws
are no longer the tribe

00:13:57.833 --> 00:13:58.966
they used to be.

00:13:58.967 --> 00:14:02.299
\"Quapaws do not have
the right to occupy

00:14:02.300 --> 00:14:05.532
\"the whole southern half
of Arkansas,

00:14:05.533 --> 00:14:08.966
\"and we need to take that
and give them a reservation

00:14:08.967 --> 00:14:10.966
more fitting
to their size.\"

00:14:10.967 --> 00:14:16.066
Then the Army
began rounding them up.

00:14:16.067 --> 00:14:22.432
In 1833, they made a treaty
with the remaining Quapaws

00:14:22.433 --> 00:14:25.066
to bring them
to where they are today,

00:14:25.067 --> 00:14:28.632
and they arrived here in 1835.

00:14:28.633 --> 00:14:31.399
And when they arrived
to this area,

00:14:31.400 --> 00:14:35.866
there was only
135 Quapaws remaining

00:14:35.867 --> 00:14:39.266
out of 35,000.

00:14:39.267 --> 00:14:43.199
- Back in 1830s,
they sent us here from Arkansas,

00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:44.932
and they drew a line on a map,

00:14:44.933 --> 00:14:48.932
and the only way we could be
Quapaws was inside that line.

00:14:48.933 --> 00:14:52.366
So we can\'t go anywhere else.

00:14:52.367 --> 00:14:55.367
[birds chirping]

00:15:02.567 --> 00:15:06.432
- So the Quapaws
are coming up in wagons.

00:15:06.433 --> 00:15:09.732
You know, it\'s 1835.

00:15:09.733 --> 00:15:13.500
And they\'re dropped off.
You know, \"This is your land.\"

00:15:15.167 --> 00:15:17.832
So they explore, you know,

00:15:17.833 --> 00:15:22.366
basically the east side
of the Spring River,

00:15:22.367 --> 00:15:24.866
and it\'s exactly the kind
of land they\'re used to.

00:15:24.867 --> 00:15:28.832
It\'s Ozark uplift.

00:15:28.833 --> 00:15:34.266
Looking, you know, across
the river is those high bluffs.

00:15:34.267 --> 00:15:42.267
And that big bluff right across
is called the Devil\'s Promenade.

00:15:43.067 --> 00:15:45.366
And the reason it\'s called
the Devil\'s Promenade

00:15:45.367 --> 00:15:47.666
is because, they got there,

00:15:47.667 --> 00:15:51.966
and they were working
on how to get across,

00:15:51.967 --> 00:15:55.899
see the rest of their land,
their new home,

00:15:55.900 --> 00:16:00.166
but the Devil was marching,

00:16:00.167 --> 00:16:04.332
parading up and down
the top of the bluff.

00:16:04.333 --> 00:16:09.799
And everyone who tried
to swim across drowned.

00:16:09.800 --> 00:16:12.532
And so they couldn\'t cross
the river, because the Devil,

00:16:12.533 --> 00:16:14.767
you know,
wouldn\'t let them across.

00:16:20.833 --> 00:16:23.199
Myers: The Quapaws were removed
from their original lands

00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:25.099
and placed right here
on a reservation

00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:29.866
inside Indian territory 70 years
before the ore was struck.

00:16:29.867 --> 00:16:33.132
Oklahoma wasn\'t even
a state back then.

00:16:33.133 --> 00:16:34.899
Most of the ore
was on Quapaw land,

00:16:34.900 --> 00:16:37.599
so the mining companies leased
tribal land and allotments

00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.466
to start this operation.

00:16:40.467 --> 00:16:44.232
A story about land is a story
about landowners.

00:16:44.233 --> 00:16:47.999
And this story is as much Quapaw
as it is American.

00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:49.532
And the Quapaw story
changed forever

00:16:49.533 --> 00:16:52.000
once the miners sunk
that first shaft.

00:16:54.767 --> 00:16:59.399
- They hit a huge vein
that moved northeast

00:16:59.400 --> 00:17:02.966
up through what\'s
now Cardin and Picher.

00:17:02.967 --> 00:17:05.566
That became the Picher Field.

00:17:05.567 --> 00:17:07.066
That was the boom,

00:17:07.067 --> 00:17:10.132
and it was a huge rush,
you know,

00:17:10.133 --> 00:17:14.666
of people into that area
to start leasing Quapaw land.

00:17:14.667 --> 00:17:17.766
And you could buy...
The Secretary of Interior

00:17:17.767 --> 00:17:21.199
would allow
40-acre leases.

00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:23.699
They stole land
from the Quapaw tribe

00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:26.599
to create the town of Picher,

00:17:26.600 --> 00:17:29.899
but for the roads
and for the town itself

00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:32.932
and schools and that kind
of thing, you know,

00:17:32.933 --> 00:17:35.966
they took...
They just took the land.

00:17:35.967 --> 00:17:40.232
- This was the largest
lead-mining district

00:17:40.233 --> 00:17:41.899
in the world at one time.

00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:44.832
So all the munitions
for World War I and a lot...

00:17:44.833 --> 00:17:47.466
Most of them for World War II,
on the American side,

00:17:47.467 --> 00:17:50.499
came from this area.

00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:53.966
So there was a huge incentive
to keep the mining going.

00:17:53.967 --> 00:17:58.132
Even at one time, the government
subsidized the mining to keep...

00:17:58.133 --> 00:17:59.932
Because it was
a strategic mineral.

00:17:59.933 --> 00:18:03.566
- The catch in the law

00:18:03.567 --> 00:18:06.766
was that if
the Secretary of Interior

00:18:06.767 --> 00:18:11.132
found any of the Indians
to be incompetent,

00:18:11.133 --> 00:18:15.432
then the Secretary of Interior
would manage their leases.

00:18:15.433 --> 00:18:18.699
- So the BIA was under
a lot of pressure

00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:21.399
to have these tribal members
sign mining leases.

00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:24.732
If you didn\'t lease
to the mining companies,

00:18:24.733 --> 00:18:28.166
BIA went to Congress and had
individual tribal members

00:18:28.167 --> 00:18:29.832
declared incompetent.

00:18:29.833 --> 00:18:34.899
- It turns out that most
of the incompetent Indians

00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:37.932
were the ones that had mines
on their property

00:18:37.933 --> 00:18:41.632
and were 1/4 blood or more.

00:18:41.633 --> 00:18:45.766
And the ones that were deemed
competent were the ones

00:18:45.767 --> 00:18:50.499
that were 1/4 blood or less
and didn\'t have mining leases,

00:18:50.500 --> 00:18:52.732
with rare exception.

00:18:52.733 --> 00:18:56.267
- The government had a lot of
hand in what went on out here.

00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:05.500
[slow blues music]

00:19:08.267 --> 00:19:10.932
Myers: Tar Creek is not a county
or town or neighborhood.

00:19:10.933 --> 00:19:13.432
It\'s the country\'s worst
environmental disaster,

00:19:13.433 --> 00:19:16.466
named after the creek
that runs through it.

00:19:16.467 --> 00:19:18.932
It\'s 47 square miles
of virgin prairie

00:19:18.933 --> 00:19:21.632
turned into permanent wasteland.

00:19:21.633 --> 00:19:24.266
They\'ve thrown a mint
of federal cash at Tar Creek,

00:19:24.267 --> 00:19:26.032
but you wouldn\'t know it.

00:19:26.033 --> 00:19:27.632
It\'s like Newton\'s Law:

00:19:27.633 --> 00:19:31.266
every action has an equal
and opposite reaction.

00:19:31.267 --> 00:19:33.266
You punch a wall,
that wall gets a hole,

00:19:33.267 --> 00:19:35.299
or your hand gets broken.

00:19:35.300 --> 00:19:37.966
They just beat the hell
out of this ground out here,

00:19:37.967 --> 00:19:41.332
and she came back swinging.

00:19:41.333 --> 00:19:42.866
- And then, of course,
we were declared

00:19:42.867 --> 00:19:44.366
a Superfund site back in 1983,

00:19:44.367 --> 00:19:47.499
so we\'ve been dealing
with this for a long time.

00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:49.199
- Yeah, the reason they call it
a Superfund

00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:52.066
is because Congress set aside
a large amount of money,

00:19:52.067 --> 00:19:55.832
plus they taxed oil companies
and chemical companies

00:19:55.833 --> 00:19:59.932
to put into this fund.

00:19:59.933 --> 00:20:02.699
And it grew to
a pretty large amount of money,

00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:05.799
and they called it
the Superfund.

00:20:05.800 --> 00:20:09.466
It was established
in the early \'80s to deal

00:20:09.467 --> 00:20:11.832
with these environmentally
contaminated sites

00:20:11.833 --> 00:20:15.732
where the responsible parties
either can\'t be located

00:20:15.733 --> 00:20:19.366
or are not
claiming responsibility.

00:20:19.367 --> 00:20:21.532
So the government has to take
over these sites

00:20:21.533 --> 00:20:24.332
and initiate the cleanup.

00:20:24.333 --> 00:20:26.599
- I remember hearing about
being the worst Superfund site

00:20:26.600 --> 00:20:28.166
in the country,
and that was based on...

00:20:28.167 --> 00:20:30.766
The EPA has a model they call
the Hazard Ranking System model,

00:20:30.767 --> 00:20:32.432
HRS model,

00:20:32.433 --> 00:20:34.632
and they\'ve changed it over
the years, but at the time,

00:20:34.633 --> 00:20:37.999
the way that model was set up,
this site scored very high.

00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.099
And of the original 411
or some-odd sites

00:20:41.100 --> 00:20:43.066
that were added to
the National Priorities List,

00:20:43.067 --> 00:20:45.632
this was the top-scoring site.

00:20:45.633 --> 00:20:48.632
- And once we were declared
a Superfund site,

00:20:48.633 --> 00:20:51.532
that was the beginning
of the end,

00:20:51.533 --> 00:20:56.032
because you just don\'t
bounce back from it.

00:20:56.033 --> 00:20:58.366
- The initial, primary focus
was on water quality,

00:20:58.367 --> 00:21:00.832
what they call
Operating Unit One.

00:21:00.833 --> 00:21:03.299
They came in, and they
tried to do some diking

00:21:03.300 --> 00:21:05.232
and that kind of stuff,
and it failed.

00:21:05.233 --> 00:21:08.399
- So Operable Unit One
was trying to solve

00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:09.632
the surface water impacts

00:21:09.633 --> 00:21:12.932
from the contaminated mine water
being discharged.

00:21:12.933 --> 00:21:14.966
Myers: About how much
was spent there?

00:21:14.967 --> 00:21:16.632
- About $8 million.

00:21:16.633 --> 00:21:21.166
- Their theory was:
water in equals water out.

00:21:21.167 --> 00:21:22.466
Doesn\'t work that way.

00:21:22.467 --> 00:21:25.166
Back during the mining,
they had to pump 24/7

00:21:25.167 --> 00:21:29.699
to get rid of all of the water
that was in the Boone Aquifer

00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:31.466
where the mines were located at.

00:21:31.467 --> 00:21:33.999
You had tremendous amounts
of water

00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:35.399
that you had to deal with.

00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:38.599
It just wasn\'t surface water
causing this problem.

00:21:38.600 --> 00:21:42.732
- In the mid-\'90s, the focus
became lead issues in children,

00:21:42.733 --> 00:21:46.632
and it was kind of
a national trend for the EPA.

00:21:46.633 --> 00:21:48.166
If they saw
elevated lead levels,

00:21:48.167 --> 00:21:49.167
they moved dirt.

00:21:49.167 --> 00:21:50.167
That\'s what they did.

00:21:50.168 --> 00:21:51.899
- We had an unusual
situation here.

00:21:51.900 --> 00:21:54.332
That caused
a new effort out here,

00:21:54.333 --> 00:21:55.566
and that\'s when EPA

00:21:55.567 --> 00:21:59.199
designated the surface soils
Operable Unit Two.

00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:01.599
EPA hired the Corps of Engineers
as their prime contractor

00:22:01.600 --> 00:22:04.166
to come in and do yard cleanups.

00:22:04.167 --> 00:22:05.832
It\'s pretty simple.

00:22:05.833 --> 00:22:07.932
You go out, and you dig up
some dirt out of the yard.

00:22:07.933 --> 00:22:09.166
You bring in new, clean dirt.

00:22:09.167 --> 00:22:11.266
Take the top six inches
where it\'s hot,

00:22:11.267 --> 00:22:13.299
where it\'s above
the cleanup standard.

00:22:13.300 --> 00:22:16.266
If you have some below that
in that spot,

00:22:16.267 --> 00:22:18.499
you take the next
six inches, et cetera.

00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:24.566
- They came in, and they spent
$80,000 to redo my yard.

00:22:24.567 --> 00:22:29.032
They dug out about
three feet deep

00:22:29.033 --> 00:22:31.466
all around my four lots.

00:22:31.467 --> 00:22:33.232
Myers: What was the damage
on that?

00:22:33.233 --> 00:22:36.399
- The best estimate
I\'ve gotten from EPA

00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:38.200
is a little over $130 million.

00:22:42.867 --> 00:22:46.899
- The average cost to remediate
a yard by the EPA

00:22:46.900 --> 00:22:50.800
was $70,000 per house.

00:22:58.100 --> 00:23:01.266
In... I believe it was \'95,

00:23:01.267 --> 00:23:03.599
I had some EPA officials
come to my office,

00:23:03.600 --> 00:23:05.699
and they told me
what they wanted to do.

00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:08.399
I said, \"Come go with me.\"

00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:09.866
So we all got in my pickup,

00:23:09.867 --> 00:23:11.866
and I drove them up
on a chat pile.

00:23:11.867 --> 00:23:13.899
And I said, \"You folks think

00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:16.599
you\'re going to be able
to fix this?\"

00:23:16.600 --> 00:23:19.966
And one EPA official made
the statement to me,

00:23:19.967 --> 00:23:21.866
on top of that
chat pile right over there,

00:23:21.867 --> 00:23:24.832
\"I\'ll be able to retire here.\"

00:23:24.833 --> 00:23:26.666
That\'s their attitude.

00:23:26.667 --> 00:23:29.332
It\'s not about
what\'s best for these people.

00:23:29.333 --> 00:23:33.932
How can you justify
digging up a yard

00:23:33.933 --> 00:23:37.066
when you have 3 million tons
of contaminants

00:23:37.067 --> 00:23:39.132
across the street?

00:23:39.133 --> 00:23:40.866
- Could they have
done things differently

00:23:40.867 --> 00:23:42.466
in the \'20s
during the mining boom?

00:23:42.467 --> 00:23:47.032
Could they have managed
the waste differently?

00:23:47.033 --> 00:23:48.599
Yeah, probably.

00:23:48.600 --> 00:23:50.299
They could have done
a better job of it.

00:23:50.300 --> 00:23:52.366
Were they thinking about it
at that time?

00:23:52.367 --> 00:23:53.566
No.

00:23:53.567 --> 00:23:55.599
Should we think about it now?

00:23:55.600 --> 00:23:57.599
Damn straight.
We better think about it.

00:23:57.600 --> 00:24:00.399
[slow blues music]

00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:02.632
Myers: Yeah, the chat\'s bad.
The ground\'s bad.

00:24:02.633 --> 00:24:03.966
Lead poisoning is high.

00:24:03.967 --> 00:24:05.832
But the reason the EPA
came here on day one

00:24:05.833 --> 00:24:07.366
and called this their worst

00:24:07.367 --> 00:24:09.166
was the water.

00:24:09.167 --> 00:24:10.432
Since the mines closed,

00:24:10.433 --> 00:24:11.966
they\'ve filled up
with water so bad,

00:24:11.967 --> 00:24:13.966
nothing can live in it,

00:24:13.967 --> 00:24:17.566
and the water that pours out
of the mines is no better.

00:24:17.567 --> 00:24:19.032
Back in their day,
the Quapaws died

00:24:19.033 --> 00:24:21.999
trying to cross the river
to get to their new home.

00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:23.667
This is some mean water
out here.

00:24:27.033 --> 00:24:29.699
- 1979 was actually,
from what I can remember,

00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:31.966
about the first time the EPA

00:24:31.967 --> 00:24:35.199
started sniffing around here,
so to speak.

00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:38.099
That\'s when the contaminated
water started coming up

00:24:38.100 --> 00:24:41.232
out from the underground mines
into the creek.

00:24:41.233 --> 00:24:42.599
- You had to pump the water out

00:24:42.600 --> 00:24:44.499
so you could keep
the mine system dry then.

00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:47.432
So when you stop that,
it fills up over time.

00:24:47.433 --> 00:24:49.866
- They were digging out
an aquifer.

00:24:49.867 --> 00:24:51.866
That\'s why they had
to continue pumping,

00:24:51.867 --> 00:24:55.632
and they suggested that if
they ever had to stop pumping,

00:24:55.633 --> 00:24:59.932
that within ten years,
the mine water would surface

00:24:59.933 --> 00:25:02.499
and kill all the fish
in Tar Creek.

00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:04.232
That was ignored.

00:25:04.233 --> 00:25:06.099
- When the water is running,

00:25:06.100 --> 00:25:09.466
it\'s... where most of the water
comes out is right here.

00:25:09.467 --> 00:25:11.732
There\'s so much water
coming out here,

00:25:11.733 --> 00:25:16.332
it goes thataway full stream
and goes out thataway,

00:25:16.333 --> 00:25:17.532
there\'s so much in here.

00:25:17.533 --> 00:25:18.866
But if they blocked
this one off,

00:25:18.867 --> 00:25:20.099
it\'d come out somewhere else,

00:25:20.100 --> 00:25:22.432
some drill holes
or something somewhere else.

00:25:22.433 --> 00:25:23.799
But this is actually
an old shaft,

00:25:23.800 --> 00:25:30.666
mine workings right here
that\'s fell in, so...

00:25:30.667 --> 00:25:33.499
- [singing] All my spare time

00:25:33.500 --> 00:25:37.232
- We\'re right at the 800-foot
elevation level right here,

00:25:37.233 --> 00:25:40.899
and a lot of the mine discharges
are coming out

00:25:40.900 --> 00:25:44.132
right at the 800-foot level.

00:25:44.133 --> 00:25:47.133
[car approaching]

00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:52.399
And you can tell that when
the red water mixes

00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:56.666
with the clear water,
that\'s the difference.

00:25:56.667 --> 00:25:57.899
Although this looks clear,

00:25:57.900 --> 00:25:59.866
it\'s still got a lot
of metals in it,

00:25:59.867 --> 00:26:02.932
because it\'s discharging
out of the chat piles.

00:26:02.933 --> 00:26:06.999
The sides of the mine that has
the minerals in it are submerged

00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:10.032
beneath the water,
and it\'s isolated from oxygen.

00:26:10.033 --> 00:26:12.299
Oxygen is the key.

00:26:12.300 --> 00:26:14.199
You know, back when
they were first filling up,

00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:17.966
there was a lot of oxygen
available in the mines,

00:26:17.967 --> 00:26:20.332
and that was causing
oxidation of metals,

00:26:20.333 --> 00:26:24.799
which in turn
creates, basically, sulfur,

00:26:24.800 --> 00:26:26.099
sulfuric acid.

00:26:26.100 --> 00:26:30.599
- You have Tar Creek,
which starts up in Kansas,

00:26:30.600 --> 00:26:32.599
runs through the mining belt,

00:26:32.600 --> 00:26:37.632
becomes contaminated at Douthat,
which is just south of Picher.

00:26:37.633 --> 00:26:41.432
It then runs
on the east side of Commerce,

00:26:41.433 --> 00:26:46.599
runs through the center of Miami
on into Neosho River

00:26:46.600 --> 00:26:48.266
on into Grand Lake.

00:26:48.267 --> 00:26:50.766
Let\'s just say it\'s been
doing that since \'83.

00:26:50.767 --> 00:26:54.733
Nothing but orange, yucky,
smelly, contaminated water.

00:27:01.633 --> 00:27:03.299
Myers: This watershed
has been clocking

00:27:03.300 --> 00:27:06.266
5 million gallons a day
since there have been clocks.

00:27:06.267 --> 00:27:08.066
And if water rolls
into the mines

00:27:08.067 --> 00:27:09.399
or slides off a chat pile

00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:11.432
or flows out
from the underground,

00:27:11.433 --> 00:27:13.899
it\'s real bad news.

00:27:13.900 --> 00:27:15.932
Isaac Newton says
the reaction to the mining

00:27:15.933 --> 00:27:18.766
is a lifetime of polluted water.

00:27:18.767 --> 00:27:21.799
And this mine system swallows
any groundwater whole

00:27:21.800 --> 00:27:25.032
and then coughs up orange blood.

00:27:25.033 --> 00:27:26.766
- And you look
at these problems and say,

00:27:26.767 --> 00:27:28.399
\"This has been here
for a long time.\"

00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:32.032
It\'s not just 25 years
since Superfund.

00:27:32.033 --> 00:27:34.166
It\'s since mining began.

00:27:34.167 --> 00:27:36.232
And we all benefited
from that mining,

00:27:36.233 --> 00:27:38.632
either directly or indirectly.

00:27:38.633 --> 00:27:40.599
It was a good thing
for the United States.

00:27:40.600 --> 00:27:42.299
But this is the legacy.

00:27:42.300 --> 00:27:46.867
We have kind of an obligation
to fix it.

00:27:50.300 --> 00:27:52.566
- If you drive through Picher
right now

00:27:52.567 --> 00:27:57.332
and drive down Douthat Road,
nothing\'s changed.

00:27:57.333 --> 00:28:02.532
Nothing has really changed since
they put us on the NPL list.

00:28:02.533 --> 00:28:05.032
It\'s a disgrace.

00:28:05.033 --> 00:28:07.632
And it\'s sad.

00:28:07.633 --> 00:28:14.066
But no one has done anything
about the water, the air.

00:28:14.067 --> 00:28:15.432
But I\'m ashamed right now

00:28:15.433 --> 00:28:17.599
of the Environmental
Protection Agency,

00:28:17.600 --> 00:28:21.632
the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
the Department of the Interior,

00:28:21.633 --> 00:28:26.332
because they\'ve spent
all this time talking to us,

00:28:26.333 --> 00:28:29.932
telling us, you know,
what they think we want to hear.

00:28:29.933 --> 00:28:33.432
But if you drive through Picher
and you drive down Douthat Road,

00:28:33.433 --> 00:28:36.832
it looks the same as it did
when they turned off the pumps

00:28:36.833 --> 00:28:38.399
and they walked away.

00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:41.500
No one cares about the people
that live here.

00:28:46.833 --> 00:28:48.432
Myers: This is not
a safe place to live.

00:28:48.433 --> 00:28:49.799
It\'s a good place.

00:28:49.800 --> 00:28:52.666
There\'s good people here,
but it\'s not fit.

00:28:52.667 --> 00:28:54.766
There have been whispers
about buying this place out

00:28:54.767 --> 00:28:57.899
since it was named
as a Superfund in \'83.

00:28:57.900 --> 00:29:00.132
I mean, horrible water,
all this mine waste,

00:29:00.133 --> 00:29:01.632
direct danger to children,

00:29:01.633 --> 00:29:04.099
but they couldn\'t get the help
they needed.

00:29:04.100 --> 00:29:07.166
It should have been easier
to put a buyout together.

00:29:07.167 --> 00:29:08.499
Whether it\'s a dioxin scare

00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:10.466
or they want to build a lake
or highway somewhere,

00:29:10.467 --> 00:29:12.966
buyouts happen all the time.

00:29:12.967 --> 00:29:16.766
And the human health dangers
here seem to qualify.

00:29:16.767 --> 00:29:19.199
Plus, Tar Creek residents
had an ace in the hole.

00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:22.166
Oklahoma senior senator
Jim Inhofe was chair

00:29:22.167 --> 00:29:24.132
of the Environmental
and Public Works Committee

00:29:24.133 --> 00:29:25.432
in the Senate.

00:29:25.433 --> 00:29:28.299
This committee oversees
and directs the EPA,

00:29:28.300 --> 00:29:30.932
and Inhofe oversaw
the committee.

00:29:30.933 --> 00:29:32.966
As far as environmental
buyout money goes,

00:29:32.967 --> 00:29:35.232
Inhofe was the faucet.

00:29:35.233 --> 00:29:37.132
When you have a place like this
in your home state

00:29:37.133 --> 00:29:38.799
and you\'re chairing the kind
of committee

00:29:38.800 --> 00:29:40.599
that can actually help people
and you refuse,

00:29:40.600 --> 00:29:44.232
well, we could all smell
what he was cooking.

00:29:44.233 --> 00:29:46.799
The problem was that Inhofe
is a soldier of industry.

00:29:46.800 --> 00:29:49.199
Fact is, Inhofe\'s brother
even used to work

00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:52.532
for the insurance agency
owned by the mining companies.

00:29:52.533 --> 00:29:53.899
Inhofe is in deep
with polluters,

00:29:53.900 --> 00:29:55.399
so he can\'t just order a buyout

00:29:55.400 --> 00:29:58.232
because that would prove
this land\'s not fit for people.

00:29:58.233 --> 00:29:59.832
And if it\'s not fit,

00:29:59.833 --> 00:30:02.566
then someone\'s
got to pay for what got done,

00:30:02.567 --> 00:30:04.766
and that could get expensive.

00:30:04.767 --> 00:30:05.832
So they\'d just pay Inhofe

00:30:05.833 --> 00:30:08.332
to make this
buyout talk disappear.

00:30:08.333 --> 00:30:11.232
And these citizens have to stay.

00:30:11.233 --> 00:30:13.632
But to prove that he was working
for Ottawa County folks,

00:30:13.633 --> 00:30:15.766
he put together
an $18 million cleanup plan

00:30:15.767 --> 00:30:17.666
to stand in for a buyout.

00:30:17.667 --> 00:30:21.266
Made everyone wait three years
while he pulled it together.

00:30:21.267 --> 00:30:23.432
He was going to move
all the chat.

00:30:23.433 --> 00:30:26.132
They ran the math on the plan
the same day it was released.

00:30:26.133 --> 00:30:28.232
If you ran 50 trucks
a day all day,

00:30:28.233 --> 00:30:33.332
it would take 40 years
just to move the chat, 40 years.

00:30:33.333 --> 00:30:37.166
Moving the chat would cost
$225 million, not $18 million.

00:30:37.167 --> 00:30:41.032
A complete buyout was estimated
at $50 million.

00:30:41.033 --> 00:30:43.866
And everyone knows Inhofe\'s
not much of a science man.

00:30:43.867 --> 00:30:45.966
- Could it be
that man-made global warming

00:30:45.967 --> 00:30:47.432
is the greatest hoax

00:30:47.433 --> 00:30:49.599
ever perpetrated
on the American people?

00:30:49.600 --> 00:30:51.132
I believe it is.

00:30:51.133 --> 00:30:56.032
Myers: But it turned out
he wasn\'t a math guy either.

00:30:56.033 --> 00:30:58.267
But then came news
that not even Inhofe could spin.

00:31:01.300 --> 00:31:05.066
- If you got away
from the mining

00:31:05.067 --> 00:31:09.066
and didn\'t hear no noise
or anything,

00:31:09.067 --> 00:31:15.232
that roof was always a-popping,
and it\'s a-settling.

00:31:15.233 --> 00:31:21.232
And I am surprised that Picher
hasn\'t just all fell in.

00:31:21.233 --> 00:31:23.066
- They looked at water,

00:31:23.067 --> 00:31:24.332
and then they looked at lead,

00:31:24.333 --> 00:31:26.432
and then...
Well, the trouble is,

00:31:26.433 --> 00:31:28.499
they forgot to look
at subsidence risk,

00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:30.032
which is, of course,
the undermining

00:31:30.033 --> 00:31:31.999
that goes along
with hard-rock mining.

00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:33.466
You know, it turns out
that the area

00:31:33.467 --> 00:31:34.799
is significantly undermined,

00:31:34.800 --> 00:31:36.766
which really shouldn\'t be
a surprise to anybody,

00:31:36.767 --> 00:31:38.532
since they took out,
I don\'t know,

00:31:38.533 --> 00:31:41.966
250 million tons of ore,
maybe more.

00:31:41.967 --> 00:31:44.766
- You know,
this underground mining

00:31:44.767 --> 00:31:48.499
was done sometimes
clear up to where they...

00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:50.132
Until they saw tree roots.

00:31:50.133 --> 00:31:54.366
I mean you have
a several-hundred-foot mine room

00:31:54.367 --> 00:31:56.899
that\'s going almost
to the surface, guess what.

00:31:56.900 --> 00:31:58.732
It\'s going to collapse
one of these days.

00:31:58.733 --> 00:32:01.366
And that land
that you\'re seeing out there,

00:32:01.367 --> 00:32:03.232
it\'s all undermined.

00:32:03.233 --> 00:32:05.866
In Picher, in Cardin,
where people are living,

00:32:05.867 --> 00:32:07.399
they could wake up one day,

00:32:07.400 --> 00:32:10.066
and their house could be
collapsed into a mine.

00:32:10.067 --> 00:32:13.067
[ground rumbling]

00:32:14.467 --> 00:32:17.332
- They didn\'t care
what they done to the city.

00:32:17.333 --> 00:32:21.866
Picher is just setting
on pillars and...

00:32:21.867 --> 00:32:23.466
Myers: And they took
those pillars down.

00:32:23.467 --> 00:32:24.932
- They took the pillars out.

00:32:24.933 --> 00:32:28.399
- Oh, medium-size cave-in.

00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:29.466
- This is medium?

00:32:29.467 --> 00:32:31.067
- Yeah, this is medium.

00:32:37.933 --> 00:32:40.132
This is the Sunflower.

00:32:40.133 --> 00:32:43.199
Well, it\'s the biggest
cave-in in the area,

00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:45.266
the Picher Field, right here.

00:32:45.267 --> 00:32:46.999
It\'s probably, I\'m going to say,

00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:51.066
another 150 foot deeper than
what the water is right now.

00:32:51.067 --> 00:32:54.999
- But I think there is
a public policy issue here of,

00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:56.599
if you can\'t account
for all the risk

00:32:56.600 --> 00:32:59.132
in an environmental site,
you shouldn\'t be in charge.

00:32:59.133 --> 00:33:01.099
- Well, I\'ve been around these
my whole life,

00:33:01.100 --> 00:33:02.566
and I\'m still scared of them.

00:33:02.567 --> 00:33:06.232
I mean, there\'s just...
There\'s just no forgiveness

00:33:06.233 --> 00:33:10.432
if anything happens
around these things.

00:33:10.433 --> 00:33:12.299
If you start going down,
that\'s it.

00:33:12.300 --> 00:33:13.700
You\'re history.

00:33:16.933 --> 00:33:18.166
Myers: It sounds crazy,

00:33:18.167 --> 00:33:20.632
but those holes
were actually a blessing.

00:33:20.633 --> 00:33:22.832
The state couldn\'t afford
to move everyone out,

00:33:22.833 --> 00:33:24.499
and Inhofe had already
pounded his gavel

00:33:24.500 --> 00:33:27.066
that the current problems
weren\'t bad enough.

00:33:27.067 --> 00:33:30.199
So things had to get worse
to get anything done.

00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:31.799
Several areas
collapsed that summer,

00:33:31.800 --> 00:33:33.299
and Inhofe finally agreed
to a study

00:33:33.300 --> 00:33:35.100
to prove the extent
of the undermining.

00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:39.032
[water sloshing]

00:33:39.033 --> 00:33:41.499
Not that it needed to be proven.

00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:43.566
Another study felt exhausting,
you know.

00:33:43.567 --> 00:33:44.832
It felt tired to have to prove

00:33:44.833 --> 00:33:46.366
that the land
was actually undermined

00:33:46.367 --> 00:33:48.266
and more holes were coming.

00:33:48.267 --> 00:33:51.066
But it was a material chance
to get a buyout,

00:33:51.067 --> 00:33:54.100
so nobody refused
this $2 million study.

00:33:56.033 --> 00:34:01.332
- You can\'t ignore the data
or what the data shows

00:34:01.333 --> 00:34:03.932
in regards to the severity
of the underground mining

00:34:03.933 --> 00:34:05.132
that was done up here.

00:34:05.133 --> 00:34:07.533
You cannot dispute it
in any way.

00:34:12.300 --> 00:34:14.399
- As we were able
to get political support

00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:15.899
to evaluate that risk,

00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:19.999
then it became obvious that
people shouldn\'t live there.

00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.332
- It\'s best for in the long run,

00:34:24.333 --> 00:34:26.599
because we don\'t have to worry
about any more kids

00:34:26.600 --> 00:34:29.132
being raised
in this environment.

00:34:29.133 --> 00:34:31.799
You know, we\'ve got to put
an end to that.

00:34:31.800 --> 00:34:33.432
- What we are doing is,
we are going

00:34:33.433 --> 00:34:36.732
and finding comparables
outside the project area,

00:34:36.733 --> 00:34:39.199
and keep in mind,
the Superfund site

00:34:39.200 --> 00:34:40.999
is a bigger area
than the project area.

00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:43.299
The project area is that area
that I told you about,

00:34:43.300 --> 00:34:44.432
the 40-square-mile area

00:34:44.433 --> 00:34:47.166
that was in
that subsidence team study.

00:34:47.167 --> 00:34:49.766
They\'re finding properties
outside that area

00:34:49.767 --> 00:34:53.666
and then giving them comparable
value for their property.

00:34:53.667 --> 00:34:56.966
The trust has tried to make
some provisions to make sure

00:34:56.967 --> 00:35:01.632
that everybody gets a minimal,
decent level of housing.

00:35:01.633 --> 00:35:03.132
So in other words,
if you live in a...

00:35:03.133 --> 00:35:04.399
In substandard housing,

00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:06.066
we don\'t want to give you
just enough money

00:35:06.067 --> 00:35:07.432
to go live
in substandard housing

00:35:07.433 --> 00:35:09.966
in Miami or somewhere else.

00:35:09.967 --> 00:35:12.466
People get an appraisal,
and I don\'t care if you live

00:35:12.467 --> 00:35:14.332
in a $500,000 house,
you get an appraisal,

00:35:14.333 --> 00:35:16.032
and you go,
\"Oh, man, I really thought

00:35:16.033 --> 00:35:17.899
my house was worth
more than that,\" you know.

00:35:17.900 --> 00:35:20.266
And so what I keep telling
people is, \"Be realistic.

00:35:20.267 --> 00:35:23.499
\"In reality,
if you took that house

00:35:23.500 --> 00:35:25.832
\"in the condition that it\'s in,

00:35:25.833 --> 00:35:27.666
\"take it and stick it
in Miami, Oklahoma,

00:35:27.667 --> 00:35:29.032
\"put a sign out
in the front yard,

00:35:29.033 --> 00:35:30.299
\"how much do you really think

00:35:30.300 --> 00:35:33.432
you\'re going to get
for that house?\"

00:35:33.433 --> 00:35:35.766
- Kind of interesting,
we\'ve been so busy

00:35:35.767 --> 00:35:37.866
trying to do
the appraisal issues

00:35:37.867 --> 00:35:40.499
and those kind of things
to get people, I hope,

00:35:40.500 --> 00:35:41.699
what are very fair values.

00:35:41.700 --> 00:35:43.899
I mean that\'s our intent.

00:35:43.900 --> 00:35:45.432
Like with any appraisal,

00:35:45.433 --> 00:35:47.566
not everybody\'s happy
with what they\'re appraised,

00:35:47.567 --> 00:35:50.966
but it\'s
a chance for these people

00:35:50.967 --> 00:35:52.967
that they really would never
have had otherwise.

00:35:56.400 --> 00:35:58.766
- I\'d like to stay
the rest of my life out here,

00:35:58.767 --> 00:36:01.732
because I feel like
I ain\'t got maybe a year,

00:36:01.733 --> 00:36:04.332
two years, you know,
maybe not even that.

00:36:04.333 --> 00:36:06.632
It\'s up to God what years I got,

00:36:06.633 --> 00:36:10.666
but I hate to move.

00:36:10.667 --> 00:36:14.432
You know, I really do.

00:36:14.433 --> 00:36:17.932
Stuff on the walls and pictures,
so much stuff,

00:36:17.933 --> 00:36:22.132
and to have to get rid of it
and different things,

00:36:22.133 --> 00:36:23.499
that\'s a lot of it.

00:36:23.500 --> 00:36:25.966
It\'d be nice to have
a nice house, you know,

00:36:25.967 --> 00:36:29.199
but I\'m not able to take care
of anything hardly now,

00:36:29.200 --> 00:36:32.333
you know, so...

00:36:35.267 --> 00:36:37.632
Myers: Yeah, it ain\'t much,
but it\'s home.

00:36:37.633 --> 00:36:39.566
And it\'s got to be hard
leaving home,

00:36:39.567 --> 00:36:42.232
practically being made to leave.

00:36:42.233 --> 00:36:43.932
This place has already
stolen their health

00:36:43.933 --> 00:36:45.432
and their children\'s health.

00:36:45.433 --> 00:36:47.366
It squandered
their property values,

00:36:47.367 --> 00:36:49.132
but it\'s still home.

00:36:49.133 --> 00:36:50.932
And once the buyout
reaches critical mass,

00:36:50.933 --> 00:36:52.566
there won\'t be
any more fire department,

00:36:52.567 --> 00:36:53.832
any more police,

00:36:53.833 --> 00:36:57.199
any more electricity
or water or stores.

00:36:57.200 --> 00:37:01.866
It\'ll just be paved country,
lined with rusted street signs.

00:37:01.867 --> 00:37:03.266
And when you go through all that

00:37:03.267 --> 00:37:05.966
and are told the one place
you can\'t live is home,

00:37:05.967 --> 00:37:09.332
you deserve a buyout process
that is dignified and clean.

00:37:09.333 --> 00:37:11.766
So the trust was appointed
to represent the citizens

00:37:11.767 --> 00:37:13.466
during the buyout process.

00:37:13.467 --> 00:37:16.466
They carry out orders
from the federal government,

00:37:16.467 --> 00:37:19.466
handle all appraisal issues,
and cut checks for the homes.

00:37:19.467 --> 00:37:21.999
- And I\'m just making
a little short statement.

00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:26.166
I was offered $15 a square foot
for my business,

00:37:26.167 --> 00:37:30.032
and there\'s no way that you can
build a mini storage business...

00:37:30.033 --> 00:37:31.466
I know it\'s not gigantic.

00:37:31.467 --> 00:37:32.799
It\'s just 40 buildings.

00:37:32.800 --> 00:37:34.932
And... but it is nice.

00:37:34.933 --> 00:37:36.732
I\'d like for all of you
to go look at it.

00:37:36.733 --> 00:37:38.399
It\'s not a piece of crap.

00:37:38.400 --> 00:37:39.999
- We\'re standing
in front of my house,

00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:42.666
and for the base package,
the gun shop,

00:37:42.667 --> 00:37:45.666
the house, the land, three lots,

00:37:45.667 --> 00:37:48.132
$80,000.

00:37:48.133 --> 00:37:51.199
And there\'s no way
you can go to Miami

00:37:51.200 --> 00:37:53.132
and replace this for $80,000.

00:37:53.133 --> 00:37:54.399
It\'s impossible.

00:37:54.400 --> 00:37:57.299
I\'d say $102,000 would be fair.
Myers: $102,000.

00:37:57.300 --> 00:37:58.632
- Yes.
Myers: Okay.

00:37:58.633 --> 00:38:00.566
- And I don\'t think
I could actually go to Miami

00:38:00.567 --> 00:38:02.799
and replace it for $102,000.

00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:06.899
And I went to all of them to try
to find out why, and they said,

00:38:06.900 --> 00:38:08.899
\"Well, that\'s just what
we appraised it at.

00:38:08.900 --> 00:38:11.132
\"The appraisers have been
in business for 25 years.

00:38:11.133 --> 00:38:13.666
They should know
what they\'re doing.\"

00:38:13.667 --> 00:38:15.832
Well, evidently they don\'t.

00:38:15.833 --> 00:38:20.299
- The appraisal company,
Cinnabar Services out of Tulsa,

00:38:20.300 --> 00:38:22.532
is doing shoddy work.

00:38:22.533 --> 00:38:27.466
And the trust is paying them
$1.8 million to do shoddy work.

00:38:27.467 --> 00:38:29.399
They\'re rude to the people.

00:38:29.400 --> 00:38:31.299
They have inconsistencies,

00:38:31.300 --> 00:38:34.932
and the trust will not
hold them accountable.

00:38:34.933 --> 00:38:36.732
- Now, listen.
Now, wait a second.

00:38:36.733 --> 00:38:40.566
I listened.
Why don\'t you guys listen?

00:38:40.567 --> 00:38:42.532
We have... people want to say

00:38:42.533 --> 00:38:44.166
this is not like
the first buyout.

00:38:44.167 --> 00:38:46.066
Well, we did the same things.

00:38:46.067 --> 00:38:49.799
We put something out for bid.
We hired a contractor.

00:38:49.800 --> 00:38:54.032
We have gone
and gotten their appraisals,

00:38:54.033 --> 00:38:55.566
and we\'ve had them reviewed.

00:38:55.567 --> 00:38:59.066
I mean... and in all honesty,
the values are higher

00:38:59.067 --> 00:39:01.366
in this buyout
than they were in the first one.

00:39:01.367 --> 00:39:05.199
- And what do you see
in the \"News-Record\"?

00:39:05.200 --> 00:39:07.032
Here\'s today\'s \"News-Record.\"

00:39:07.033 --> 00:39:11.399
\"Trust defends buyout approach.\"

00:39:11.400 --> 00:39:14.832
The trust is circling
the wagons.

00:39:14.833 --> 00:39:16.166
You know?

00:39:16.167 --> 00:39:20.166
The trust is supposed
to take care of these people,

00:39:20.167 --> 00:39:21.432
and they\'re not doing it.

00:39:21.433 --> 00:39:22.766
- Are there going to be people

00:39:22.767 --> 00:39:24.299
who feel like
they were due more?

00:39:24.300 --> 00:39:26.799
Yes.

00:39:26.800 --> 00:39:30.099
What I can assure you is that
there has been no conspiracy

00:39:30.100 --> 00:39:31.232
on the part of anyone

00:39:31.233 --> 00:39:33.232
to get higher values
for certain people.

00:39:33.233 --> 00:39:34.632
Now, let me finish.

00:39:34.633 --> 00:39:35.999
- I will.

00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:40.699
- What there is is a lot
of innuendo and accusation,

00:39:40.700 --> 00:39:43.667
and yet there is no proof.

00:39:45.333 --> 00:39:47.332
- Okay, we\'re coming up
on Janelle\'s brother.

00:39:47.333 --> 00:39:50.332
This is Gaylan Hart,
the gray house,

00:39:50.333 --> 00:39:54.000
just lap siding, $115,000.

00:39:56.967 --> 00:39:58.966
That house is
a old, old, old house.

00:39:58.967 --> 00:40:00.499
That\'s been moved three times.

00:40:00.500 --> 00:40:03.299
That house is probably
at least 80 years old.

00:40:03.300 --> 00:40:04.832
Okay, this house on the left

00:40:04.833 --> 00:40:07.532
belongs to Missy
and Sammy Beets.

00:40:07.533 --> 00:40:11.867
And they\'ve been offered
$70,000.

00:40:15.433 --> 00:40:17.232
- Not by appraisal standards.
- Oh, my gosh.

00:40:17.233 --> 00:40:18.666
- Well, what... hey.
- Knock-knock.

00:40:18.667 --> 00:40:19.966
- Hi.
- Hello.

00:40:19.967 --> 00:40:22.166
- By appraisal standards
last time we had it appraised?

00:40:22.167 --> 00:40:23.932
Yes, it was.
- Yes, it was a four-bedroom.

00:40:23.933 --> 00:40:25.299
- Okay, let me explain.

00:40:25.300 --> 00:40:27.366
Typically, in most homes,

00:40:27.367 --> 00:40:29.666
you have the bedrooms
at one end of the home,

00:40:29.667 --> 00:40:31.632
the living area at the other.

00:40:31.633 --> 00:40:34.432
Next to the bedrooms
is the bathrooms.

00:40:34.433 --> 00:40:36.632
Rooms on the other side
of the house

00:40:36.633 --> 00:40:38.699
away from the bathrooms

00:40:38.700 --> 00:40:42.132
are usually not considered
a bedroom because...

00:40:42.133 --> 00:40:45.032
This has to do with what we call
a functional issue.

00:40:45.033 --> 00:40:47.232
You don\'t want somebody walking
through the living room

00:40:47.233 --> 00:40:49.066
in their underwear to go
to the bathroom

00:40:49.067 --> 00:40:51.199
if there\'s going to be
people in the living room.

00:40:51.200 --> 00:40:53.299
Therefore, this room typically

00:40:53.300 --> 00:40:55.799
would not be
considered a bedroom.

00:40:55.800 --> 00:40:57.799
- And they don\'t, and
they have a fireplace, that...

00:40:57.800 --> 00:40:59.732
- If there was a mistake
with the Harts\' property,

00:40:59.733 --> 00:41:02.199
there was a mistake;
we cannot...

00:41:02.200 --> 00:41:04.199
If we gave the Harts
too much money,

00:41:04.200 --> 00:41:06.232
we gave \'em too much money.

00:41:06.233 --> 00:41:10.066
- And if that\'s the case,
then everybody in Picher

00:41:10.067 --> 00:41:14.232
and Cardin
needs the same mistake made.

00:41:14.233 --> 00:41:17.166
- Cinnabar said,
\"There is something wrong

00:41:17.167 --> 00:41:18.832
with the Beets\' appraisal.\"

00:41:18.833 --> 00:41:21.866
So as... you, as a trust,
why did you not help me?

00:41:21.867 --> 00:41:23.166
- We did.

00:41:23.167 --> 00:41:25.599
We asked for your property
to be re-reviewed.

00:41:25.600 --> 00:41:27.632
- But you didn\'t raise.

00:41:27.633 --> 00:41:29.566
- That doesn\'t mean
that we didn\'t re-review it.

00:41:29.567 --> 00:41:31.099
Just because
we didn\'t order somebody

00:41:31.100 --> 00:41:32.666
to raise it or lower it...

00:41:32.667 --> 00:41:34.832
- \"There\'s something wrong
with the Beets\' appraisal,

00:41:34.833 --> 00:41:36.132
so let\'s leave it
the same and\"...

00:41:36.133 --> 00:41:37.732
- I don\'t know
what that statement means.

00:41:37.733 --> 00:41:38.899
- I don\'t know what that means.

00:41:38.900 --> 00:41:40.499
We got three new comps
for your property.

00:41:40.500 --> 00:41:42.532
It... and if it didn\'t
significantly change

00:41:42.533 --> 00:41:43.966
the value, then...

00:41:43.967 --> 00:41:48.299
- I mean, I promise you, we went
over that multiple times and...

00:41:48.300 --> 00:41:49.899
- Mark, you can look at me
and tell me

00:41:49.900 --> 00:41:51.200
you didn\'t find anything wrong?

00:41:55.300 --> 00:41:56.732
[all murmuring]

00:41:56.733 --> 00:41:57.900
- Thank you.

00:42:00.567 --> 00:42:03.899
Myers: The appraisers probably
have it tough with this town.

00:42:03.900 --> 00:42:05.366
There are some poor people here.

00:42:05.367 --> 00:42:06.832
There are
some bad-looking homes,

00:42:06.833 --> 00:42:09.799
and I\'m sure those
create some challenges.

00:42:09.800 --> 00:42:11.332
But, you know,
Missy and Sammy\'s house

00:42:11.333 --> 00:42:12.932
is the same size as the Harts\'.

00:42:12.933 --> 00:42:15.532
Missy and Sammy\'s is much newer,

00:42:15.533 --> 00:42:17.632
and even if you were blind
and a little crazy

00:42:17.633 --> 00:42:19.832
and think these homes
are in similar condition

00:42:19.833 --> 00:42:21.232
and think a bedroom
isn\'t a bedroom

00:42:21.233 --> 00:42:23.799
if it\'s not close to a bathroom,

00:42:23.800 --> 00:42:25.899
there\'s still
a $45,000 difference

00:42:25.900 --> 00:42:29.166
in a town where the average home
is 58 grand.

00:42:29.167 --> 00:42:31.299
That\'s almost the cost
of a whole other house.

00:42:31.300 --> 00:42:32.666
This is the kind
of appraisal work

00:42:32.667 --> 00:42:34.566
the trust stands behind.

00:42:34.567 --> 00:42:38.499
And they sit in Missy\'s home,
on her couch, and say,

00:42:38.500 --> 00:42:40.632
\"Maybe we gave
the Harts too much.

00:42:40.633 --> 00:42:42.899
Maybe we made a mistake.\"

00:42:42.900 --> 00:42:44.099
And in the same breath,

00:42:44.100 --> 00:42:46.066
they think Missy and Sammy
got a good run.

00:42:46.067 --> 00:42:48.532
- $45,000 different.

00:42:48.533 --> 00:42:50.332
- It\'s not a Hollywood story...

00:42:50.333 --> 00:42:51.899
Myers: And where does
this leave those

00:42:51.900 --> 00:42:53.299
who\'ve already
worked a lifetime?

00:42:53.300 --> 00:42:58.666
They\'re paid back
with Chapter 11 at 92 years old.

00:42:58.667 --> 00:43:04.266
- And outside of that,
Jackie Bresee.

00:43:04.267 --> 00:43:05.599
She called me the other day.

00:43:05.600 --> 00:43:07.632
She\'s so worried about moving.

00:43:07.633 --> 00:43:10.366
She\'s alone.
She ain\'t got no neighbors.

00:43:10.367 --> 00:43:12.399
One across the street\'s
all she\'s got,

00:43:12.400 --> 00:43:14.732
and she don\'t know
about her house.

00:43:14.733 --> 00:43:18.866
They offered her $22,000 on it,
I think, she said...

00:43:18.867 --> 00:43:21.666
Told me, so...

00:43:21.667 --> 00:43:24.133
I don\'t know
what she\'s going to do.

00:43:26.567 --> 00:43:29.132
Myers: They offered
84-years-young Jackie Bresee

00:43:29.133 --> 00:43:32.366
$22,000 for her home.

00:43:32.367 --> 00:43:35.199
It doesn\'t matter
what her home is like.

00:43:35.200 --> 00:43:38.266
Where can you move on that?

00:43:38.267 --> 00:43:39.632
- She says,

00:43:39.633 --> 00:43:41.832
\"Gentleman, the purpose
of this letter is to explain

00:43:41.833 --> 00:43:43.699
\"why I do not have
a bill of sale.

00:43:43.700 --> 00:43:47.199
\"When I was 21, I bought
my home in Picher, Oklahoma,

00:43:47.200 --> 00:43:51.699
\"in the fall of 1943
from Dewey Fields for $375.

00:43:51.700 --> 00:43:53.866
\"I\'ve lived here
for almost 63 years.

00:43:53.867 --> 00:43:56.066
\"I\'m now almost 84 years old

00:43:56.067 --> 00:43:58.499
\"and have lived
in the neighborhood 77 years,

00:43:58.500 --> 00:44:01.766
\"longer, as far as I know,
than anyone now living or dead.

00:44:01.767 --> 00:44:05.099
\"It is with much regret that
I will have to leave my home

00:44:05.100 --> 00:44:07.032
\"at this late time in my life,

00:44:07.033 --> 00:44:09.199
\"but I cannot stay
without police protection,

00:44:09.200 --> 00:44:12.066
\"sewer service,
utilities, and safe neighbors.

00:44:12.067 --> 00:44:15.533
Please let me be among
the last to go.\"

00:44:25.500 --> 00:44:28.566
- How do you expect
an 80-year-old woman

00:44:28.567 --> 00:44:32.332
who\'s lived in that house
for 60 years,

00:44:32.333 --> 00:44:35.099
who\'s on a fixed income...

00:44:35.100 --> 00:44:38.632
How do you expect her to move

00:44:38.633 --> 00:44:44.632
out of the Superfund site
on $20,000?

00:44:44.633 --> 00:44:47.766
Now, you know, it\'s easy
for outsiders to come in

00:44:47.767 --> 00:44:48.932
and look at that house, say,

00:44:48.933 --> 00:44:51.032
\"My gosh,
that house isn\'t worth $5,000.\"

00:44:51.033 --> 00:44:54.199
That\'s right,
but that\'s that lady\'s home.

00:44:54.200 --> 00:44:55.899
That\'s all she has,

00:44:55.900 --> 00:44:57.966
and now you\'re going
to take it away from her,

00:44:57.967 --> 00:45:02.332
and now you\'ve got to make her
get in debt to get out of here.

00:45:02.333 --> 00:45:05.199
And the funny thing is,
we can come in here

00:45:05.200 --> 00:45:08.532
and spend $70,000
to dig up her yard,

00:45:08.533 --> 00:45:10.366
but we can\'t give her

00:45:10.367 --> 00:45:13.532
enough money
to move out of town on.

00:45:13.533 --> 00:45:16.799
- 1491, she lives up
on the hill, across from Reeves.

00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:18.632
- And she got how much?
- $115,000.

00:45:18.633 --> 00:45:19.633
Myers: This is what

00:45:19.634 --> 00:45:21.599
environmental problems
look like.

00:45:21.600 --> 00:45:24.499
They look like people problems.

00:45:24.500 --> 00:45:27.299
Environmental problems
are people problems.

00:45:27.300 --> 00:45:30.032
As long as gravity
still holds us here,

00:45:30.033 --> 00:45:31.399
they aren\'t separate.

00:45:31.400 --> 00:45:32.599
- Have you accepted your offer?

00:45:32.600 --> 00:45:33.999
- I haven\'t been
offered anything.

00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:35.532
- She was on that.
She was on the agenda.

00:45:35.533 --> 00:45:37.332
Myers: And these folks
have been stolen from,

00:45:37.333 --> 00:45:38.333
their land raped,

00:45:38.334 --> 00:45:39.666
their names drug
through the mud,

00:45:39.667 --> 00:45:41.099
but they are tough as hell.

00:45:41.100 --> 00:45:42.632
Break everything else
you can grip,

00:45:42.633 --> 00:45:44.632
but these people ain\'t
breaking on your science,

00:45:44.633 --> 00:45:45.999
on your say-so,

00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:48.399
or on your legislation
of the month.

00:45:48.400 --> 00:45:50.266
Hell, yes, they get
red-headed and mouthy

00:45:50.267 --> 00:45:52.466
when things seem counterfeit.

00:45:52.467 --> 00:45:54.799
What else do you have
when there ain\'t much?

00:45:54.800 --> 00:45:59.766
Just your word, your soul,
and your back.

00:45:59.767 --> 00:46:01.532
100 years later,
they\'re still here,

00:46:01.533 --> 00:46:05.032
still fighting for their health
and their cool spot of dirt.

00:46:05.033 --> 00:46:09.566
[somber blues guitar]

00:46:09.567 --> 00:46:11.366
Whether it\'s fair
or whether it ain\'t,

00:46:11.367 --> 00:46:13.132
they are going.

00:46:13.133 --> 00:46:15.766
This will not be home anymore.

00:46:15.767 --> 00:46:17.532
And 100 years after
the first pickax

00:46:17.533 --> 00:46:19.299
struck Oklahoma gold,

00:46:19.300 --> 00:46:22.199
they\'re handing this place
back to the Quapaw.

00:46:22.200 --> 00:46:23.666
\"Appreciate the ore.

00:46:23.667 --> 00:46:27.000
Here\'s the worst Superfund site
in the country.\"

00:46:31.467 --> 00:46:34.166
- Tar Creek,
it hasn\'t even started yet.

00:46:34.167 --> 00:46:37.299
You know, just because
the buyout\'s going on

00:46:37.300 --> 00:46:38.799
doesn\'t mean it\'s over.

00:46:38.800 --> 00:46:40.766
It means it\'s just beginning.

00:46:40.767 --> 00:46:42.366
- And they can buy
these people out,

00:46:42.367 --> 00:46:43.732
which is what
they\'re going to do,

00:46:43.733 --> 00:46:45.332
but the tribe\'s
going to be here forever,

00:46:45.333 --> 00:46:47.232
because the government\'s
not going to give them

00:46:47.233 --> 00:46:48.899
any more land.

00:46:48.900 --> 00:46:52.399
You can see that
with all this mine waste

00:46:52.400 --> 00:46:56.832
covering the landscape,
it\'s really not usable.

00:46:56.833 --> 00:47:00.399
- In the \'60s, Eagle Picher
was pressing for...

00:47:00.400 --> 00:47:04.766
To get out of their leases,
you know, and to move.

00:47:04.767 --> 00:47:09.666
And they also offered to put
the chat back in the mines,

00:47:09.667 --> 00:47:13.832
and the Department of Interior
denied that,

00:47:13.833 --> 00:47:16.132
stating that the Quapaw lands

00:47:16.133 --> 00:47:19.132
were no longer any good
for anything.

00:47:19.133 --> 00:47:22.266
They were ruined for agriculture
or any other purpose,

00:47:22.267 --> 00:47:28.199
that the only economic
derivative left of their lands

00:47:28.200 --> 00:47:31.132
was the gravel on the surface

00:47:31.133 --> 00:47:33.366
and that they could sell
that gravel.

00:47:33.367 --> 00:47:36.899
- When they started realizing
the chat had heavy metals in it

00:47:36.900 --> 00:47:39.066
and was
environmentally hazardous,

00:47:39.067 --> 00:47:40.866
the Department of Interior

00:47:40.867 --> 00:47:44.032
realized that
that\'s a liability.

00:47:44.033 --> 00:47:46.632
Since they managed the asset
for the tribe,

00:47:46.633 --> 00:47:49.499
if they allowed that to be sold,

00:47:49.500 --> 00:47:52.266
then they would incur
a liability,

00:47:52.267 --> 00:47:55.332
because if this chat were sold
and put somewhere else,

00:47:55.333 --> 00:47:57.732
that place might become
a Superfund site.

00:47:57.733 --> 00:48:01.532
Myers: They\'re lucky
there\'s so little left today.

00:48:01.533 --> 00:48:03.599
There\'s no telling what
the epidemic would look like

00:48:03.600 --> 00:48:06.266
if there were five times as much
lead poaching their young,

00:48:06.267 --> 00:48:08.032
polluting the creeks,

00:48:08.033 --> 00:48:10.832
and making the ground tremble.

00:48:10.833 --> 00:48:16.432
But 80 years later,
there sits 75 million tons.

00:48:16.433 --> 00:48:19.932
80 years of kids passing
through, struggling in school.

00:48:19.933 --> 00:48:21.199
Here or gone, this chat

00:48:21.200 --> 00:48:24.199
didn\'t just hurt the kids
who tested high.

00:48:24.200 --> 00:48:29.099
Lead was here in mountains
before anyone was running tests.

00:48:29.100 --> 00:48:32.966
- So not only is the chat
left on the Indian lease

00:48:32.967 --> 00:48:35.599
where the tribal member
can\'t use the land.

00:48:35.600 --> 00:48:37.899
Then they found out
they couldn\'t sell it either,

00:48:37.900 --> 00:48:40.299
so their land became useless.

00:48:40.300 --> 00:48:42.466
As result, this chat\'s
been just sitting here

00:48:42.467 --> 00:48:46.099
for 80, 90, 100 years.

00:48:46.100 --> 00:48:48.999
- You know, we\'re being
restricted from our sales,

00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:52.132
but the non-Indians are not.

00:48:52.133 --> 00:48:55.532
Myers: This chat causes
lead poisoning.

00:48:55.533 --> 00:48:57.899
That\'s not an opinion.

00:48:57.900 --> 00:49:00.366
It ruins this very land
that was given to the Quapaw

00:49:00.367 --> 00:49:02.899
to replace what they gave up.

00:49:02.900 --> 00:49:06.399
And the BIA made sure
this chat stayed right here.

00:49:06.400 --> 00:49:08.832
The BIA said,
\"These are the people

00:49:08.833 --> 00:49:12.732
who are going to bleed
because of this waste.\"

00:49:12.733 --> 00:49:15.532
And what is now so clear
about this function

00:49:15.533 --> 00:49:16.766
is that damaging the land

00:49:16.767 --> 00:49:22.432
is not a separate act
from damaging a culture.

00:49:22.433 --> 00:49:24.866
- The whole reason
that the government

00:49:24.867 --> 00:49:26.799
gave the tribe this land

00:49:26.800 --> 00:49:29.599
was to replace the land
where they came from, you know.

00:49:29.600 --> 00:49:35.432
The Quapaw tribe occupied
most of what is now Arkansas.

00:49:35.433 --> 00:49:37.866
- You know, and I feel bad
for the people

00:49:37.867 --> 00:49:39.599
that are living over in Picher.

00:49:39.600 --> 00:49:43.566
I feel bad that they\'re
going to have to move.

00:49:43.567 --> 00:49:46.866
I feel bad that they\'re going
to have to be relocated.

00:49:46.867 --> 00:49:48.032
But you know what?

00:49:48.033 --> 00:49:51.067
Quapaws didn\'t want
to leave Arkansas.

00:50:00.433 --> 00:50:04.166
- So it\'s getting bad out here.

00:50:04.167 --> 00:50:08.666
But not seeing hardly any birds,
squirrels, you know,

00:50:08.667 --> 00:50:11.699
ducks, geese, you know.

00:50:11.700 --> 00:50:13.866
I don\'t know
what\'s going on here.

00:50:13.867 --> 00:50:18.266
This is like Rachel Carson\'s
nightmare today.

00:50:18.267 --> 00:50:20.666
You know,
we\'re having a silent fall.

00:50:20.667 --> 00:50:23.266
You know, where are the birds?

00:50:23.267 --> 00:50:25.866
Where\'s the wildlife?

00:50:25.867 --> 00:50:28.999
You just don\'t see it,
and this is really unusual.

00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:33.499
I\'ve never been
on this river and seen it.

00:50:33.500 --> 00:50:37.100
You can\'t even hear
a bird chirping, you know?

00:50:47.200 --> 00:50:49.967
- I think the worst story
would have to be...

00:50:53.133 --> 00:50:56.133
[sniffling]

00:51:10.933 --> 00:51:13.666
The worst story would have to be

00:51:13.667 --> 00:51:15.766
the kids we let slip
through the cracks.

00:51:15.767 --> 00:51:17.767
[pounding on desk]

00:51:25.433 --> 00:51:27.532
The kids that...

00:51:27.533 --> 00:51:30.533
[tapping on desk]

00:51:31.667 --> 00:51:37.366
Didn\'t get any help early on.

00:51:37.367 --> 00:51:39.432
Because if you look back...

00:51:39.433 --> 00:51:43.299
If you look back
in the school\'s history,

00:51:43.300 --> 00:51:49.499
and if you talk to families...

00:51:49.500 --> 00:51:53.932
those problems were here
decades ago.

00:51:53.933 --> 00:51:56.033
And we didn\'t know it.

00:52:02.400 --> 00:52:04.732
Myers: Hundreds of towns
and cities have diminished,

00:52:04.733 --> 00:52:08.899
even died,
when industry pulls up stakes.

00:52:08.900 --> 00:52:10.666
But these towns in Oklahoma
began to die

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because industry arrived.

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Way back when,
it would have been impossible

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to know the dimension
of destruction

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they\'d be left with
or who would be hurt by it.

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Back then,
jobs trumped everything.

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Maybe they still do.

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Back then, they had no concept
of the future.

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But now we are the heirs
of our grandparents\' mess.

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And here we are about
to shoot the porch light out

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on this town.

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And how many more times can we
strike lead or uranium or oil

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before there\'s no more country?

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[crickets chirping]

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[bluesy guitar music]

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- [singing] I\'m down in Oklahoma

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Living out my life

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Down in here in Oklahoma

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Living out my life

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Out here in the backwoods
with my daughter

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And my wife

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I ain\'t got no insurance

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But the grace of God above