The coal industry and how it disposes of coal ash waste needs to be regulated by the Environment Protection Agency to protect our health now and in the future. The use of coal and lack of regulating coal waste affects land, air, water and people by jeopardizing our health and our environment. Despite the Green-Washing campaign to make coal seem like a right choice for our energy crisis, there are serious repercussions for using coal as a solution. Primarily, there are no regulations from our government or the Environmental Protection Agency on how the waste from coal production is stored, leaving us exposed to deadly toxins now and from future accidents.
In The Article
The Dirty Truth About Coal > Coal > Sierra Club the facts about how the coal waste can effect us and the environment is revealed. "Coal waste contains elements of lead, mercury, and arsenic in toxic doses causing illness and death in plants and animals. Direct exposure to the toxins causes lower cases of reproduction, tissue disease, and death. Plants and vegetation near the coal waste disposal areas die or become unhealthy." (para.)
Water can be affected by the coal waste containment methods because there is seepage to ground water; and runoff when the coal waste overflows such as heavy rains or flooding. When the waste is dumped in above ground storage methods the likelihood of exposure to humans and our water is even greater. For example, "In 2005, there were 24 acknowledged cases of environmental pollution from leaking landfills and impoundments and many more suspected cases."
Peoples' greatest threat is drinking contaminated ground water. "The toxins found in coal wastes have been linked to organ disease, respiratory illnesses, neurological damage, and developmental problems."
With all these health and environmental issues related to the disposal of coal mining waste, you would think that the Environmental Protection Agency and our government would put strict regulations on the mining of coal. A legitimate argument could be made for stopping coal mining altogether based on the history of acid rain in our country caused from the coal power plants but our government seems to ignore or overlook acid rains history, in exchange for the energy and money coal provides.
So if we as a country are going to accept coal as an energy source then shouldn't the EPA just stringently regulate the way coal waste is contained? Yes! Why is something so simple not regulated?
Bruce Nilles: Questions & Concerns Linger Over the TVA Spill If this waste is not monitored and contained safely then it is like our government saying, "Who cares? It is just the health of the people and our environment, in exchange for the wealth of the coal companies."(Me)
There are over 100 unregulated coal ash ponds according to
List of power plants with coal ash ponds : National News : Knoxville News Sentinel. We need regulations on coal waste to prevent spills from happening again and again. In Texas alone, there is four coal companies in Goliad County, Fayette County, Harrison County and Milam County storing approximately combined total of 537,810 tons of waste. Considering Texas is in the Great Basin meaning flooding is considerable, this is scarey thought.
Citizens of the United States should demand regulation on coal waste containment by the government and EPA.
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