Changing the Names on the Deeds: A Citizen's Guide to Land Reform and an Appalachian Homestead Act

This free guide makes the case for land reform in the Central Appalachian coalfields and proposes an Appalachian Homestead Act to place land now held by absentee corporate owners with families who will live on it. It traces the land question from the broad form deed through the 1981 land ownership study, sets out current evidence on who owns the land and who is leaving it, and offers state proposals for Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee, an income bridge for families who stay or return, and the terms citizens should demand of the data centers now seeking the same flat ground. Comments are welcome on the author's Substack, jbranx.substack.com.