Amos Coal Power Plant, Raymond City, West Virginia

Amid a landscape of suburban backyards, a coal power station looms in the distance, its gray, industrial form at odds with the colorful houses. The result of this juxtaposition is symbolized by the dead, bare tree at the center of the composition. The Amos Power Plant emits over 13 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, equivalent to adding 3.5 million cars to the road. Grappling with the consequence of both political power and power as consumer product, Mitch Epstein commented, “I wanted to photograph the relationship between American society and the American landscape, and energy was the lynchpin.”