Let’s hope.
The Obama administration is quietly putting together plans for a major new scientific study of the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining.On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a notice seeking nominations for scientists to serve on an ad hoc panel to “provide expert advice to the EPA on a draft assessment of the ecological impacts” of mountaintop removal.
The Obama administration has already promised to take “unprecedented steps” to reduce the damaging environmental impact from mountaintop removal across the Appalachian coalfields.
Unlike other EPA moves on mountaintop removal, though, agency officials on Friday did not issue a news release or other media announcements concerning the science panel. Instead, the announcement was a simple notice published in the Federal Register.
The announcement said, “Recent published scientific information reveals that mountaintop mining and valley-fill operations in Southern Appalachia may be linked to degraded water quality and adverse impacts on in-stream biota.”
The federal government already spent nearly seven years and $5.5 million on a broad study of mountaintop removal as part of a court settlement of a major lawsuit over mining permit practices.
That study, released in final form in October 2005, concluded that mountaintop removal was devastating the region’s environment, destroying hills and forests and burying or otherwise damaging hundreds of miles of streams. President George W. Bush’s administration reversed the study’s intended purpose — to come up with tougher new regulations — and instead drafted plans to streamline permitting of new mines.
Since that study was completed, research by EPA experts and other scientists has continued to detail mountaintop removal’s damage and point out that stream restoration and land reclamation projects by mining companies don’t seem to work.
Read more from The Charleston (Va.) Gazette.
Further reading: G20 agrees on phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies (Reuters)
This article appears in Sep 22-29, 2009.
Across the board enforcement of the clean water act will,in effect bring highway construction and other development in Appalachia to a virtual halt!
Mountaintop removal and valley fill mining in Appalachia must be stopped. We are on the verge of a major toxic event with selenium, sediment and conductivity. Watcher is pro coal so he only has an agenda for industry. We have enough roads in Appalachia and can not afford to fix the roads and bridges we already have. Why would we build more? We are being blasted with over 3 1/2 million pounds of explosives daily from strip mining. Water is more important than coal. These mountains and streams can’t handle any more blasting and destruction. Abolish it now.
Don’t let watcher scare you. Saying that enforcing the CWA will eliminate road building is simply a scare tactic. It’s much like saying outlawing heroin will keep grandma from getting her medicine. Lies and scare tactics, the only things the coal cult has to rely on (they’ll also lie and try to scare you about jobs and national security, so get ready). Mountaintop removal must be abolished now. Period.
There is no way that anyone with any sanity can say that enforcement of the Clean Water Act will stop road building. We can’t even keep up what we already have because of the abuse to the roads by overloaded trucks that travel these roads by the hundreds, perhaps thousands daily hauling out our natural resources.
It will not mean the end to civilization, in fact it will mean just the opposite. The excessive burning of all fossils fuels as we are doing today may very well be the end of civilization in a few decades. We must stop MTR now. We must begin the transition to cleaner forms of energy.
Saying such things as watcher has posted is certainly nothing but scare tactics. People are sick and tired of the scare tactics that have been foisted on the public for far too long. It is time to wake and and look around at what is happening to the people in Appalachia. We have been used and abused for far too long by the extraction industries. It is long past time to stop this abuse of the people and the land.
Of course you guys are above using scare tactics.
“The excessive burning of all fossils fuels as we are doing today may very well be the end of civilization in a few decades.”
“Saying such things as watcher has posted is certainly nothing but scare tactics.”
Whats more important is if information is true. If it scares you BIG DEAL.
Grow up Nanette, along with the rest of you. I would be for the end of coal, if we could trade it for nuke power. You goof balls figt nuke power so much that we have no choice but to use coal. So basically you guys created the very problem you are whining about.
Mountaintop removal workers know that they are destroying their neighbors’ propterties, causing flooding, and polluting the water. Yet they think the world owes them a living while they show no regard for anyone or anything else. If there is to be any future for the coalfield regions, economic or otherwise, mountaintop removal mining must stop. It’s an abomination against man and the land.
Grow up Mr. Griffin? I have been grown up for many years. I stopped believing in the tooth fairy long long ago. Watcher’s nonsensical claims doesn’t scare me and neither do you sir.
The fossil fuel industry has been promising a fistful of dollars under the pillow of Appalachia so long, I have to wonder when you guys are going to grow up and and believe in reality. Like I said look around you.
Hey Frank- ever hear of renewable energy from the wind and sun? Ole Farnk is for fossil industry- dirty and finite and poisonign our children. We call them “fossil fools”. They think it is all about who dies with the most money.
I live in coal extraction area- they are blasting and poisoning us and our life giving water. Hey Frank and watcher- you all can have coal – I’ll take water- you don;t get any water or anything with water – lets see who lasts longer. I do have some really yummy sludge water from a coal processing plant for both frank and watchless.
Tell the residents of Man W V that we need no more new highways. This is one of the most dangerous in the U S which by the way the new one will contain at least three valley fills. Oh and I listened to the conference call between the EPA and news media and when pressed by the AP reporter the EPA spokesperson admited if the spoil vs fill rule were to be tested in the Supreme Court EPA would lose.
Have you not ever heard of elevated roadways? They have been built all over the US. Replace the 3 valley fills on that road that you say that Man needs so desperately with the elevated roads that span the valleys. Don’t tell me that it can’t be done. I have seen them with my own eyes.
As far as the fill rule goes, when Congress passes the new Clean Water Act that will take care of Supreme Court business.
The end of this mess is coming, there are far too many people in this country who are opposed to what you are doing to our Earth. It belongs to all of us, not just a privileged few.
I believe the coal cult’s plan to get around MTR regulations, permits, enforcement, and law is to call new MTR sites “road bed preparation” and get the coal by “incidental coal recovery.” The “King Coal Highway” (yes, readers, that’s what it’s really called) caused severe flooding, mudslides, and property destruction of nearby residents in May 2009. Soon WV, KY, and southwestern VA will be covered with mile-wide, 10-mile-long roads to nowhere, the taxpayer (you and me, not King Coal) will get stuck paying the reclamation, repair, and other costs so KC can get off cheap and reap a heap of profits from coal he got doing the state a “favor.” Just doing the state is more accurate.
Nanette, what makes you think congress can pass a new clean water act when they can’t even pass a health care bill? I would think the EPA is the expert on this and congress takes their word on it, and in their own words “we would lose”. Oh and by the way ya got an extra $1,800 lying around to pay Obama’s crap & tax plan?
Watcher gets paid to spin and dance for the coal baron.
Now, reality. If we are going to seriously address climate change and global warming, it makes logical sense to ban mountaintop removal. Over one million acres of carbon capturing forest in Appalachia have already been destroyed by mountaintop removal. As far as the jobs issue goes, I’ve been saying this for a long time and will continue to say it; the demolition crews that are destroying Appalachia can go to to work tomorrow, turn those bulldozers around and begin to repair the unbelievable enormous amount of damage they have done. MTR is not necessary and there is absolutely no excuse for it.
Yeah Bo, if I get paid by the coal baron dollar, you guy’s get paid by the likes of Acorn and their crime tainted dollars. Oh and by the way , how does them Rockefeller dollars spend cause their will be lot’s more of them when he’s gone and no longer has to stradle the fence. Pretty good trade,don’t ya think,cap and trade vote for an embassadorship appointment.
watcher you are a total nutcase. Nothing you said in your last post makes a lick of sense.
“embassadorship”?????
Nanette, this will explain part of my post:http://westvirginia.watchdog.org/2009/09/14/family-ties-the-rockefeller-family-fund-and-west-virginia/….THe rest will come soon.
Watcher just keeps trying to spin the blasting and poisoning of our citizens. Bottom line is nothing justifies the blasting and poisoning of entire communities. Mountaintop removal is unpopular nationally and internationally. AS filthy coal is unpopular. We will see what happens but regardless – people like watcher will go down as knuckle dragging thugs that held back progress. As I said all WV roads are dangerous- but we should fix the ones we have before we build nay new ones.
Hollergirl, Hollergirl, there tou go again with the racist statements your famous for. Mr Rockefeller has no place at the cap & trade talks with his conflict ov interest concerning his familys involvment in funding W V environmental groups…http://westvirginia.watchdog.org/2009/09/30/the-washington-examiner-leftist-foundations-work-against-coal-miners/?utm_source=WV_Subscriptions091109&utm_campaign=7f0712df3f-WV_NewsRelease_19_14_2009&utm_medium=email
Now I understand why Bo was hesitant to try and protect the tree sitters on Masswy property. Michael Roselle Rory Mc Guiness and others being sued for $ 300,000 by Messey Energy. About time! Other coal companies please take note.
“I have been grown up for many years.”
I figured you were old but you are acting like a child and you continue to prove me right so…..
“Watcher’s nonsensical claims doesn’t scare me and neither do you sir.”
I am not trying to scare anyone. I am just telling the truth.
“Ole Farnk is for fossil industry- dirty and finite and poisonign our children. ”
You need to read. I said I was for Nuke power you FOOL. Wind and solar are not sufficient and are not reliable so they cannot replace coal or nuke power. Keep on dreaming. I have an unemployement line for hollergirl to try out.
“Have you not ever heard of elevated roadways”
Too expensive, look it up.
“It belongs to all of us, not just a privileged few.”
This goes both ways.
Good points Mr Watcher.
Cecil Robert’s place at the EPA cop & trade table was, along with Gov Manchin’s bent over it.