Posts Tagged ‘Clean Water Act’
Coal Ash Floods Congress and the Courts
On April 11, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment and Economy held a hearing in part to promote the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2013, drafted legislation that would prevent the EPA from implementing federal regulation of coal ash, leaving regulation up to the states. Some witnesses, including the former director…
Read MoreEPA Gets Its Day in Court: Hearings Begin on Spruce Mine No. 1 Appeal
By Brian Sewell Dozens of coal industry groups and environmental organizations crowded into a Washington, D.C., courtroom on March 14 for the latest chapter of a long legal battle. A three-judge panel heard arguments on the legality of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to veto permits for one of the largest mountaintop removal coal…
Read MoreClean Water News: Congress Backs Down, N.C. Steps Up
Last week, there was concern that the U.S. Senate budget resolution would end up containing measures to decrease funding for initiatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency such as the release of guidelines for coal ash disposal and rules to ensure states are following water quality standards. Thanks to good Americans like yourself speaking up,…
Read MoreWill This March Madness Be An Upset for Clean Water?
Help Prevent a Clean Water Upset (Picture by mvongrue, hosted by Flickr) UPDATE: The Senate Budget Resolution passed without any of the amendments mentioned below. Victory! As most of you know, between the federal House of Representatives and the Senate, the Senate is usually the level-headed older brother of the family and tends to be…
Read MoreNorth Carolina Cares About Clean Water
By Ian Watkins Red, White and Water Intern, Spring 2013 According to a recent report by Land for Tomorrow, 91 percent of residents in North Carolina and surrounding states believe it is “important” or “very important” to conserve and protect water and other natural resources. Additionally, a 2002 publication of the N.C. State Economist it…
Read MoreHelp Protect Kentucky’s Fish from Toxic Selenium
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is currently attempting to significantly weaken the state’s water quality standards for selenium. Selenium is a pollutant common at some coal mines that deforms and kills aquatic life. It bioaccumulates, increasing in concentration as it moves up the food chain, affecting larger fish and aquatic birds. At higher levels,…
Read MoreFinding Arsenic in Mountain Island Lake: Even a Sixth Grader Can Do It
Just recently, sixth grader Anna Behnke found high levels of arsenic near her home on Mountain Island Lake, a drinking water source for hundreds of thousands in the Charlotte, N.C. metro area. The contamination — which exceeds EPA drinking water standards twenty-fold — comes from coal ash seepage at Duke Energy’s Riverbend power plant, which…
Read MoreN.C. State Rep. Harrison: Let the EPA Do Its Job
By Davis Wax Editorial assistant, Spring/Summer 2013 What should the role of the states be in protecting human health and the environment? Last Friday, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Economy held a hearing to untangle that complex question. North Carolina Rep. Pricey Harrison testified to the committee on the need…
Read MoreKentucky Attempts to loosen Selenium Standards, Fish Attempt to Leave the State
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is in the process of making the state’s water quality standard for selenium less stringent. Selenium is a metal that is especially toxic to fish, and is often released into streams through coal mining. There will be a hearing before the Administrative Regulation Review Committee on Monday February 11,…
Read MoreAppalachain Voices and Partners Object to Backroom Deal With Kentucky Coal Company
A coalition of citizens’ groups including Appalachian Voices filed objections to a proposed settlement between Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet and one of the state’s largest coal mining companies, Frasure Creek Mining. The agreement would legally resolve over a thousand water pollution violations from 2011 and 2012 at all of Frasure Creek’s mines across Eastern…
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