MAGAGOP insisted on deregulation of coal industry - WCGR

[wvit1001]

85% deep red county in West Virginia insisted on deregulation of the Coal industry, now outraged same Coal industry is polluting their waterways with no recourse to force them to clean it up


As coal companies point fingers, Wyoming County residents say they’re being poisoned by a contaminated creek

A year ago, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection ordered a coal mining company to stop polluted water from flooding into the Indian Creek area. But people nearby say as contaminants spread, their health and safety problems have worsened.

As they drive a truck hauling bottled water along the twists and turns of Route 16, Richard Altizer and James Christian point out the sights along Indian Creek.

There’s where slimy film continues to stick to foul-smelling water. There’s where people’s pets and livestock have died. And there’s the place where they gutted a deer to find its veins, heart and liver were neon yellow.

“These people are being poisoned,” Altizer said.

They see no end in sight. It’s been more than a year since the day when Christian and his wife found dirty mine water had burst from underground into their yard, flooding two feet high and seeping into the walls of their house. Christian and Altizer, who raced over from his home close by, had to drop to the ground and dig a path with their hands to direct the rancid water away from the home and into nearby Indian Creek.

But as a lawsuit over the incident drags on and coal companies direct blame at each other in Wyoming County’s circuit court, residents on well water say what comes out of their spigots is still black and pungent. They keep finding dead deer and fish. Some have lost the chickens they rely on for income, and spent money they don’t have to try to clean the water.

As the coal industry has inevitably declined, courts have allowed bankrupt coal companies to evade restoring the lands they’ve damaged. Groups that promote clean water have also warned that state officials were failing to plan ahead by conserving funds for abandoned mine cleanups.

In Wyoming County, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection concluded that it was underground pressure from the flooded Pinnacle Mining Complex that had forced the water to gush from holes in the ground between rock and dirt at the Christians’ home.

Shortly after the flooding, the DEP ordered Pinn MC Wind Down Co., formerly known as Pinnacle Mining Company and a spin-off of a bankrupt company, to stop the flooding, but then, according to a DEP spokesperson, accepted the company’s plan to divert water into the creek. Earlier this month Circuit Judge Derek Swope ordered the company and two others operating in the area — Bluestone Resources, which acquired Pinnacle Mining Complex, and Alpha Metallurgical Resources — to secure and seal mine shafts to stop additional flooding. Another status hearing in the case is set for April 2.

Fletcher also said that it isn’t DEP’s sole responsibility to ensure the community can heal and restore its financial losses, although he added that DEP does have some funds local officials can use for water improvement projects.

“The agency does not have the capacity or authority to diagnose or determine the cause of potential human health problems, drinking water issues, or dead and diseased wildlife,” he said.




https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2024/03/25/wyoming-county-coal-mines-cause-polluted-water/

[wvit1001]

the coal companies and their owners just sue each other and stall while the residents die.  Nobody is held accountable and nothing gets done



After the DEP sued Pinn MC Wind Down Co., that company turned around and sued Bluestone Resources, which is owned by the family of Gov. Jim Justice. Formerly known as Pinnacle Company, Pinn MC argued that when it went bankrupt, Bluestone purchased its assets. In a response, Bluestone acknowledged the purchase agreement, but denied the company is responsible for all violations resulting from that purchase.

Bluestone also countersued Pinn MC Wind Down Co. and pointed blame at that company. It also sued Alpha Metallurgical Resources, the coal operator adjacent to Pinnacle, saying Alpha owns the mining rights to the mine seam discharging dirty water. Alpha denies that.

Lawyers and spokespersons for companies and the governor didn’t return emailed questions about the case. While lawyers for Jackson Kelly are listed as representing Pinn MC Wind Down Co., they didn’t respond to emailed questions and didn’t return a call seeking comment. An email address for the coal company’s representative bounced back.

[wvit1001]

MAGA says deregulation is the best.