Posts Tagged ‘Water Pollution’
New Contaminants Found in Fracking Waste
Researchers tested wastewater discharged or leaked into Pennsylvania and West Virginia waterways and found ammonium and iodide in abnormally high levels in hydraulically fractured and conventionally drilled oil and gas operations, both of which are exempt from the Clean Water Act.
Read MoreRegulators Restore 1983 Stream Protection Rule
To comply with a federal court ruling, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement restored an earlier version of a rule meant to protect water quality and stream channels from coal mining waste.
Read MoreAlpha Agrees to Water Pollution Settlement
Alpha Natural Resources agreed to a settlement in a 2012 lawsuit, brought by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, regarding high levels of conductivity found in streams at two of its mountaintop removal mining complexes in West Virginia.
Read MoreDanger still looms over the Dan River
In the wake of the Dan River coal ash spill, which spewed 39,000 tons of the toxic waste into the scenic river, much attention has been given to the problems of leaky, unlined coal ash pits across North Carolina. What hasn’t received adequate attention is another menacing threat just upstream from the site of last year’s spill.
To protect or prosecute polluters?
Kentucky regulators recently filed an administrative complaint against Frasure Creek Mining for hundreds of violations of the Clean Water Act. As we wait to see if the state is going to take its responsibility to protect the people and water of Kentucky from pollution seriously, Appalachian Voices will continue to do whatever we can to ensure that Frasure Creek and other polluters are held accountable.
EPA finalizes long-awaited coal ash regulations
The day we’ve been waiting for has finally come. No, not Friday — the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to release its long-awaited coal ash rule. But, as expected, the EPA’s new rule does not go far enough to truly fix the major pollution problems associated with coal ash including contamination of waterways and drinking water supplies.
Fighting Mountaintop Removal During the Obama Years
In 2009, representatives of the new Obama administration repeated that “the administration will do what the science calls for.” In Appalachia, the science calls for an end to mountaintop removal coal mining. Six years later, mountaintop removal is still happening.
Read MoreCorruption and Enforcement Failures Raise Concern for Clean Water
Recently uncovered conspiracies to violate the Clean Water Act have heightened concerns about corruption in central Appalachia and the effectiveness of state agencies responsible for enforcing the law.
Read MoreHey North Carolina, New York just banned fracking
New York’s debate over whether or not to allow fracking came to a close today when Gov. Andrew Cuomo sided with the state’s top public health and environmental officials in calling for a ban on the practice. The announcement was exceptional for the much-needed truth it inserts into the fracking fight that could, just maybe, help other states come to their senses.
Coal ash cleanup still contested in North Carolina
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency puts the final touches on the first-ever federal regulation of coal ash, North Carolina’s response to the Dan River spill is still hotly contested and new controversies about the best ways to clean up coal ash are beginning to emerge.