In the wake of Monday’s explosion at the Upper Big Branch South Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that, effective immediately, mining operators will have to comply with more stringent standards related to the quality of water at mountaintop mines.
Water on mountaintop mine sites is often polluted with an array of contaminants, including salt, which can cause what EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson calls “irreversible damage to the physical and biological integrity of Appalachian streams.”
Unfortunately for the coal mining industry, extensive adjustments may have to made in order to meet the new standards, and because of the changes involved, Jackson believes that only a handful of valley fills on mine sites will actually meet the new standards.
The goal of the new standards, says Jackson, is not to hurt the coal mining industry, but to protect natural resources. If the EPA has to revoke clean water permits for various coal mining operations, like they did recently in West Virginia, then so be it, according to the organization. The operation whose permit was revoked is the largest mountaintop mining site in the state, and they received their permit in 2007.
The EPA has worked with the mining industry for decades. One of the more high-profile instances of EPA intervening in mining affairs happened in a small mining community known as Libby, Montana, the site of a now-closed vermiculite mine operated by W. R. Grace & Co. Thousands of residents in the tight-knit mountain town have been diagnosed with asbestos-caused illnesses as a result of asbestos contamination at the W. R. Grace-run mine. The corporation was charged with several counts of criminal activity, including attempts to cover up the asbestos contamination and negligence. Following a long trial which was delayed more than once and received extensive media attention, W. R. Grace & Co. was found not guilty of all charges – a victory for the company, but a horrifying outcome for Libby residents.
A doctor in Libby told reporters last year that the asbestos disease rates in his town were unbelievably high, and that he was diagnosing patients with asbestos diseases such as asbestosis, respiratory issues and mesothelioma cancer, at a rate of at least one per day.
Despite understanding the risks associated with mountaintop and other types of mining, including pollution, the industry believes that the new standards outlined by the EPA will hurt them.
“Nobody really understands the impact that coal has here in West Virginia,” stated Doug Skaff, a Democratic lawmaker. “It gives back to the communities…it gives back to the infrastructure of the state.”
Unlike underground mining, mountaintop mining involves the clearing of a mountain, followed by blasting off the mountaintop, rendering all of the coal and then filling the hole with dirt and rocks. Water that flows through the “valley fill” is of most concern to the EPA and President Obama’s administration.
Environmental advocates believe that the EPA and leaders in the mining industry can find a healthy compromise. Donna Lisenby, of the Waterkeeper Alliance, asserted that the problem of water contamination can be solved in a way that is a “win for the environment and a win for the economy.”
Skaff remains concerned that the EPA guidelines will take a huge economic blow to West Virginia’s most important industry.
“Let’s don’t penalize those people who are hard working and have jobs,” he said.
As rescue crews are forced to abort their recovery mission today at the Montcoal mine, where four men remain trapped inside the mine and have not been heard from since Monday, people across the nation are left wondering whether or not the dangers associated with the mining industry are worth the money.
Rescuers faced highly-contaminated air and other dangerous conditions, and on a daily basis, miners face the risk of never returning home after their shift. Still, many miners who were interviewed by the press in Montcoal this week say they are “obsessed” with the cash they can earn in the mines, and will continue to work underground no matter what the risk.
Miners, along with construction workers, firefighters, and veterans are considered to be at high-risk of asbestos exposure while on the job, and may one day develop mesothelioma, a fatal cancer that has no known cure and strikes approximately 3,000 Americans annually. For more information, please visit the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center website. The MAA Center is recognized by DisabilityInfo.gov as a reliable source of information for veterans and all individuals with disabilities, and is certified by the Health On the Net Foundation as a trustworthy source of medical content. The website received a Web Health Award in 2009 and also maintains a Twitter account with breaking news and health information, at Twitter.com/MAACenter.
