Years after mining ends, selenium pollution from mountaintop removal coal mining operations still accumulates in insects downstream.
Blog Archives
Advocacy groups sue multiple coal facilities for water violations
CONTACTS: Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices Central Appalachian Program Manager, erin@appvoices.org, 206-769-8286 August 7, 2019 Charleston, W.Va. — A coalition of West Virginian advocacy groups including the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Appalachian Voices, and the Sierra…
West Virginia groups take legal action to halt water quality violations at 15 coal facilities
CONTACTS: Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices Central Appalachian Program Manager, erin@appvoices.org, 206-769-8286 Alex Amend, Sierra Club Eastern Regional Communications Manager, alex.amend@sierraclub.org, 404-457-8937 CHARLESTON, WV — A coalition of West Virginian advocacy groups including the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the West Virginia…
Defending community rights to clean water enforcement
After four years of effort, a favorable ruling in Virginia this month confirmed the rights of citizens to participate in coal mine inspections.
TAGS: Coal mining DMME Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Selenium Virginia Water Pollution
Va. health advocates hold coal company accountable for water pollution
Contact: Matt Hepler, 276-679-1691, matt.hepler@appvoices.org Brian Willis, 202-675-2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org Isak Howell, 540-998-7744, ihowell@appalmad.org WISE, Virginia – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia has ruled in favor of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Sierra Club on…
TAGS: Coal Coal mining Mountaintop Removal Red River Selenium Southern Appalachian Mountain Virginia Water Pollution Wise County
Clean Water Laws Wrestle With Coal
America’s environmental regulations have hampered the coal industry to varying degrees for decades, and though those rules can protect communities from pollution, the law alone is often not able to secure clean water. Here are some of the trouble spots.
Another challenge facing coal: Cleaning up
From The Appalachian Voice Online: Yet another aspect of the financial perils facing U.S. coal companies is coming into full view. As even some of the nation’s largest coal producers run the risk of caving under their debts, regulators and analysts are voicing urgent concerns about cash-strapped companies’ ability to pay for reclamation land after mining.
TAGS: appalachia Coal Economy Environment Kentucky Mountaintop Removal reclamation Selenium Virginia Water Pollution West Virginia
Two wrongs don’t make a right: mountaintop removal and stream protection
Two recent studies include more bad news regarding the impacts of mountaintop removal on streams throughout Central Appalachia. One indicates that work done to restore previously degraded streams is inadequate, while the other raises important questions about the feasibility of selenium pollution enforcement.
Endangered Species are New Focus in Legal Case against Kentucky’s Water Quality Protections and EPA
Contact Appalachian Voices: Eric Chance, 828-262-1500, eric@appvoices.org Kentuckians For The Commonwealth: Suzanne Tallichet, 606-776-7970, stallichet1156@aol.com Center for Biological Diversity: Tierra Curry, 971-717-6402, tcurry@biologicaldiversity.org Sierra Club: Adam Beitman, (202) 675-2385, adam.beitman@gmail.com Defenders of Wildlife: Melanie Gade, (202) 772-0288, mgade@defenders.org Kentucky Waterways…
TAGS: Appalachian Water Watch Clean Water Act Kentucky Kentucky Litigation Mountaintop Removal Selenium Water Water Pollution
Seleni-what?
Most people have probably never heard of selenium, but for coal operators and fish it’s a big deal. Appalachian Voices’ water quality expert takes a moment to explain the issues surrounding this mineral — necessary in small amounts but toxic to aquatic life even at very low levels — and the EPA’s controversial attempts to regulate it.
