|
|
Message
|
|
|
|
NEWS
Pa. Residents Sue
Gas Driller for Contamination, Health Concerns
By
Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica - November 20, 2009
Pennsylvania residents whose streams and fields have been damaged by
toxic spills and whose drinking water has allegedly been contaminated
[1] by drilling for natural gas are suing the Houston-based energy
company that drilled the wells. A worker at the company is among the 15
families bringing suit. The civil case, filed Thursday in U.S District
Court in Scranton, Pa., seeks to stop future drilling in the Marcellus
Shale by Cabot Oil and Gas near the town of Dimock. It also seeks to
set up a trust fund to cover medical treatment for residents who say
they have been sickened by pollutants. Health problems listed in the
complaint include neurological and gastrointestinal illnesses; the
complaint also alleges that at least one person's blood tests show
toxic levels of the same metals found in the contaminated water.
The suit alleges that Cabot allowed methane [2] and metals to seep into
drinking water wells, failed to uphold terms of its contracts with
landowners, and acted fraudulently when it said that the drilling
process, including the chemicals used in the underground manipulation
process called hydraulic fracturing [3], could not contaminate
groundwater and posed no harm to the people who live there.
The suit alleges that Cabot allowed methane [2] and metals to seep into
drinking water wells, failed to uphold terms of its contracts with
landowners, and acted fraudulently when it said that the drilling
process, including the chemicals used in the underground manipulation
process called hydraulic fracturing [3], could not contaminate
groundwater and posed no harm to the people who live there.
"We've been lied to, we've been pushed around, and enough is
enough," said Julie Sautner, whose drinking water began showing
high levels of methane, iron and aluminum in February and who is
receiving fresh water deliveries from Cabot. "We need to push
back."
Basic necessity:
Water to flow to more Mercer homes
Bluefield Daily Telegraph; November 23, 2009
Clean
drinking water is something many individuals across our region take for
granted. However, as difficult as it is to believe, there are still
families across the rugged mountains of southern West Virginia and
Southwest Virginia who are lacking this very basic necessity of life.
Many of these families are using well water while others are forced to
use cistern systems to collect rain water. Still others must haul or
buy their water.
Fortunately, two additional water projects now proposed for Mercer
County will help more families in need across the region. The first
project proposed by the Lashmeet Public Service District will serve 57
families in the Mary Branch community, near Matoaka, who are currently
on well water. The project could be expanded to include the Matoaka
service area as well, according to officials with the Region One
Planning and Development Council.
The project is proposed by the Lashmeet Public Service District in
conjunction with the Mercer County Commission and the town of Matoaka.
The PSD is now advertising for engineering services to begin a
preliminary engineering study for the project.
If residents of Matoaka and the Matoaka Town Council opt to become part
of a larger project, the system could be expanded to provide water
service to residents in the town. The town is currently experiencing
problems with its existing water source, according to Jeff Johnson,
community development director for the Region One Planning and
Development Council.
Full
article here.
Interior Increases Oversight of Mountaintop Mining
November 18, 2009 By The Associated Press H. JOSEF
HEBERT
WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON (AP) - The Interior Department said Wednesday
it will more closely monitor and review state-approved permits for
mountaintop coal mining and also tighten the federal permitting process
to better protect streams from mining waste.
The department said its actions are designed to serve as interim steps
until a new federal regulation on mountaintop mining can be completed
that will impose tighter restrictions on dumping the huge amount of
generated fill dirt and waste near and in steam beds.
While America's vast coal reserves are a vital part of the country's
energy mix, "we have a responsibility to ensure that development
is done in a way that protects public health and safety and the
environment," said Assistant Interior Secretary Wilma Lewis in a
statement outlining the new actions.
In mountaintop mining, vast amounts of dirt are removed to get at the
coal and it is then transported into low-lying areas and in some cases
streambeds. It has been the source of heated arguments for years
between mining interests and environmentalists who say it is destroying
vast areas of Appalachia and contaminating streambeds and in some cases
blocking water flow. The practice is widely used in West Virginia,
Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, producing 130 million tons of coal
annually.
In 1983, the government barred coal companies from dumping fill dirt
and waste within 100 feet of streams unless they could prove it
wouldn't harm water flow or quality. The Bush administration eased that
restriction last year, months before leaving office, to the applause of
the coal mining industry and its unions and to the dismay of
environmentalists.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, saying the Bush action "failed to
pass the smell test." and he moved to restore the 1983
restrictions, but was thwarted last August when a federal judge ruled
that Salazar had essentially changed the federal regulations without
the required public input.
Full article here.
Maryland Coal Ash Landfill Leaks Trigger Lawsuit Threat
Environmental News Service. Published November 23, 2009.
WASHINGTON, DC- Concerns about toxics discharged from an
unlined coal ash waste dump in suburban Washington, DC have prompted
four environmental groups to give formal notice that they intend to sue
Mirant MD Ash Management, LLC and Mirant Mid-Atlantic, LLC Corporation
of Atlanta, Georgia for Clean Water Act violations in Maryland.
Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network,
and Patuxent Riverkeeper claim the Mirant companies are violating the
Clean Water Act by failing to comply with the terms of the discharge
permit at the Brandywine Coal Combustion Waste Landfill in Brandywine,
Maryland.
Pointing to a March 2009 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency which established that disposal of coal combustion waste in
unlined landfills and surface impoundments is hazardous to human
health, the groups say the waste discharges pose unacceptably high
risks of cancer and diseases of the heart, lung, liver, stomach, an
other organs.
The Brandywine Coal Combustion Waste Landfill receives fly ash and
bottom ash from Mirant's coal-fired Chalk Point Power Plant, the
largest power plant in Maryland.
Mirant says the 40-year-old plant is ISO 14001:2004 certified, which
means it meets a widely accepted international standard for
environmentally responsible operation. The plant uses electrostatic
precipitators designed to remove 98 percent of fly ash during start up
and 99.2 percent during normal operation.
It is not the operation of the Chalk Point Power Plant that the groups
are taking issue with - they are concerned about the operation of the
landfill where the plant's waste ash ends up.
|
|
GRANTS
Environmental
Groups in Targeted Regions Supported
ESC
provides capacity-building services to environmental justice groups and
their allies nationwide, working with them to develop customized
assistance plans that will benefit them over the longer term. ESC
works with groups to assess their needs, set evaluation benchmarks, and
develop a customized assistance plan. This may include small
grants for technical assistance from culturally competent local
consultants, or for training opportunities.
Service we provide are:
· Short-term intensive
training and organizational assistance to help groups individually or
in coalition;
· Longer-term assistance over
an eight-month to two-year period to groups ready for major
organizational breakthroughs.
This support offers maximum flexibility, addressing a wide variety of
organizational issues with assistance from ESC-approved consultants and
management support providers. Organizations requesting support
for technology or fundraising support should see the information for
the Technology Resources or Fundraising for Sustainable Organizations
programs.
For more details click here.
US EPA (federal) Grant Funding Available: Deadline
12/15/09 - Environmental Education
WASHINGTON - The US Environmental Protection Agency (US
EPA) is accepting grant applications for a total of $3.4 million in
funding for environmental education projects and programs. EPA expects
to award approximately 100 grants ranging from $5,000 to $200,000 and
will accept applications until December 15, 2009. More information on
eligibility and application materials: http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html
The US EPA Environmental Education Grant Program provides funding to
local education agencies, state education or environmental agencies, colleges
or universities, not-for-profit organizations, or noncommercial
educational broadcasting entities. Tribal education agencies, which are
controlled by an Indian tribe, band or nation, may also apply,
including a school or community college.
The purpose of the US EPA Environmental Education Grant Program is to
promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and
responsible students, teachers and citizens. The grants provide
financial support for innovative projects that design, demonstrate, or
disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques.
Projects should involve environmental education activities that go
beyond disseminating information.
Please direct all comments, concerns, or questions to US EPA Contact:
Enesta Jones at jones.enesta@epa.gov,
or via phone at 202-564-7873 or 202-564-4355.
|
|
EVENTS
Strengthening
Environmental Justice Research and Decision Making:A Symposium on the
Science of Disproportionate Environmental Health Impacts
March
17 - 19, 2010
Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, DC
Registration will be open to the general public on December 15, 2009.
Abstract submission deadline is December 15 2009.
To register please visit: http://www.scgcopr.com/envirjusticesym
The overall goal of the symposium is to lay the foundation for developing
analytical and decision frameworks that can be used by EPA and other
federal, state, and local governments to better quantify and
characterize disproportionate environmental health impacts on minority
and low-income populations that may result from their programs,
policies, and activities.
The Symposium will feature interdisciplinary presentations,
discussions, and technical input on the scientific bases for factors
that may cause disproportionate environmental health impacts, and
frameworks for assessing disproportionate burdens of environmental
exposures and disease.
2009 Legislative Summit: Unfinished Business
Funding
Natural Areas, Soil and Water Conservation, and Public Transportation
NEW LOCATION
Toledo & Ohio Central Railway Station
379 W. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Nearby parking for $1.
Join the Ohio Environmental Council and the Ohio League of Conservation
Voters for our 2009 Legislative Summit.
The goal of this year's Summit is to build a winning strategy to
address urgent funding challenges left in the wake of Ohio's biennial
operating budget.
Summit agenda items include:
Presentations from public agency officials.
Breakout sessions with environmental-conservation leaders.
Securing funding for state nature preserves, soil and
water conservation districts, and public transit.
Creating a Winning Game Plan for 2010.
When: December 7, 2009
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE. Includes lunch and materials.
Registration: Register by Friday, December 4
To register, email EventRegistration@theOEC.org or call
(614) 487-7506.
Speakers include representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, Ohio Department of Transportation, Central Ohio Transit
Authority, Sierra Club, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio League of
Conservation Voters, Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation
Districts, and a special presentation by Policy Matters Ohio.
|
|
SIDELINES...
Harnessing the Power of Salt, Norway Tries Osmotic Energy
Pierre-Henry Deshayes, The World Business Council for Sustainable
Development (WBCSD), November 24, 2009
After wind, sun, currents and tides, a company is preparing to make
clean electricity by harnessing another natural phenomenon, the
energy-unleashing encounter of freshwater and seawater. Full article here.
Chuck Norris on Climate Change?
|
|
|
