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…
Blog Archives
Selenium Spillover: Pollutant Poses Growing Risks to Ecosystems and the Coal Industry
TAGS: Alpha Natural Resources Patriot Coal Corporation Selenium selenium pollution West Virginia Mud River
Elevated 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…
Help 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…
TAGS: Appalachian Water Watch Clean Water Act Coal Coal Ash Kentuckians for the Commonwealth Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Politics Selenium Water Water Pollution
Kentucky 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.…
TAGS: Appalachian Water Watch Clean Water Act Coal Coal Ash Kentucky Mountaintop Removal Selenium Water Water Pollution
Under 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…
TAGS: end mountaintop removal Mountaintop Removal Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition Patriot bankruptcy Patriot Coal Selenium selenium pollution Sierra Club stop mountaintop removal West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
New 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…
Appalachian 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…
TAGS: A & G Coal Corporation Clean Water Act Frasure Creek Frasure Creek Mining and International Coal Group Selenium Sierra Club Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
Coalition 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…
TAGS: Appalachian Water Watch Clean Water Act Mountaintop Removal Selenium Virginia Water Water Pollution
