Posts Tagged ‘Selenium’
Selenium Spillover: Pollutant Poses Growing Risks to Ecosystems and the Coal Industry
By Brian Sewell Last year, when the bankrupt Patriot Coal Corp. agreed to phase out mountaintop removal coal mining as part of a settlement with environmental groups, it was partially because the company was on the hook for more than $400 million in fines to clean up selenium pollution from several of its surface mines.…
Read MoreElevated Selenium Levels Found in TN Streams
From the folks at United Mountain Defense, comes the sad but unsurprising news that Tennessee watersheds are suffering from surface mining. New stream data shows some of the highest selenium levels ever collected by UMD. Selenium In Water Points to Destruction of Appalachian Streams, Water Quality KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (April 03, 2013) – New water testing…
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 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 MoreUnder Pressure, Patriot Coal to Phase Out Mountaintop Removal
By Brian Sewell On Nov. 15, amid bankruptcy litigation and multiple lawsuits, Patriot Coal announced it would begin phasing out mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia as part of a settlement over selenium pollution. One of the largest operators in the region, the St. Louis-based spin-off of Peabody Energy is the first major coal operator…
Read MoreNew Studies Reveal Another Toxic Page in the Coal Ash Chronicles
The latest independent study of water quality among 11 North Carolina lakes and rivers downstream from coal-fired power plants’ coal ash ponds revealed “high levels of contaminants that in several cases exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for drinking water and ecological effects.” Coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal for electricity, is…
Read MoreAppalachian Water Watch: Bringing Polluters to Justice, One Lawsuit at a Time
Appalachian Voices has joined the Sierra Club and Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards in filing suit against A & G Coal Corporation in Virginia. The suit, represented by the environmental law firm Appalachian Mountain Advocates, alleges that A & G has been polluting Virginia’s public waterways through unpermitted discharge of selenium. The unpermitted discharge violates both…
Read MoreCoalition Acts to Protect Virginia Rivers and Streams from Mining Pollution
For Immediate Release May 3, 2012 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Contact: Tom Cormons, Appalachian Voices, 434-981-6506, tom@appvoices.org Sean Sarah, Sierra Club, 330 338-3740 sean.sarah@sierraclub.org Sam Broach, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, 276-523-1702, sbroach1@verizon.net – – – – – – – –…
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