Please call your representative TODAY to ask them to vote against HR 1391, a bad bill that limits EPA’s authority to regulate coal ash!
A fortunate delay by the House Energy and Commerce Committee (HECC) gives us another chance to tell our elected officials to back off and let EPA do their job in protecting clean water. The HECC has delayed its full-committee vote on HR 1391, a bill introduced by David McKinley (WV-R) that would prevent EPA from regulating coal ash as a hazardous substance.
The following members are on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and these are the people who most need to hear from us. If any of these people are your Representative, PLEASE make a call.
Coal ash is a dangerous by-product of burning coal for energy. Given that nearly half of Illinois’ energy comes from our 22 coal-fired power plants, it is no surprise that our state hosts over 100 coal ash disposal sites. What may be surprising is that coal ash storage and disposal practices have fewer controls than household garbage and have put Illinois communities at risk. In fact, improper management of coal ash in Illinois has earned us the distinction of having more coal ash contamination sites that any other state.
Given the real threats to Illinois citizens and their clean, safe drinking water supplies, we are disappointed with recent votes by several Illinois representatives to limit the ability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to do their job in protecting clean water. It is important that we tell our elected officials that greater safeguards for public and environmental health are needed and EPA’s responsibilities to do so must be upheld and supported by our elected officials.
The talking points are simple:
- Please vote AGAINST McKinley’s amended bill, HR 1391 and uphold EPA’s obligation to protect human health and the environment in its regulations.
- HR 1391 would derail EPA’s coal ash rulemaking and prevent EPA from adopting science-based regulations to protect health and the environment from coal ash.
- HR 1391 would circumvent the public rulemaking process and throw out the unprecedented 450,000 comments EPA has received on the coal ash rule.
- HR 1391 would threaten EPA’s ability to protect the health and environment of my community and those of other Americans who live around coal ash sites.
- Arguments that a hazardous waste regulation for coal ash would kill recycling are an outrageous smokescreen. Regulation of disposal as a hazardous waste would in fact greatly encourage legitimate recycling of coal ash as such regulation has done for other hazardous wastes.
Coulterville residents need your support!
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- What: Illinois EPA Public Hearing on proposed NPDES Water Discharge Permit for Peabody Coulterville Mining, L.L.C.’s Gateway Mine
- Where: Sparta City Council Chambers, Sparta City Hall, 114 West Jackson Street, Sparta, Illinois 62286
- When: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.
- Background: Notice of Public Hearing, Draft NPDES Permit
- Contact: bperbix “at” prairierivers.org
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Peabody's Gateway Mine in Coulterville, IL
Peabody’s Gateway Mine in Coulterville is a large underground room-and-pillar mine that has been in operation since the 1980s, and a proposed expansion to the north could double coal production, with corresponding increases in coal refuse and slurry generated. Area residents are already concerned about the massive refuse disposal areas onsite – which also take on coal ash – and the negative impacts that air and water pollution from the site may have on local health and water quality.
The proposed north portal, situated adjacent to a new county nursing home, will require filling in streams and wetlands and will cause pollution to run into a tributary of Coulterville’s community drinking water reservoir. Neighbors near the existing facility are already impacted by fugitive coal dust and potential groundwater contamination. Additionally there are a number of old gob piles – coal refuse – nearby that are leaking and adding to the pollution burden on local streams.
We disagree with Illinois EPA’s decision to issue this permit because (1) there are existing pollution problems onsite that must be addressed first, (2) the new permit does not take into account the proposed expansion, (3) the permit does not guarantee that coal ash disposal at the site won’t cause air and water pollution and (4) the permit allows Gateway to pollute a freshwater lake onsite in order to dilute their waste.
Illinois EPA needs to hear from citizens in favor of protecting clean water. The public hearing is your chance to bring information to Illinois EPA’s attention and have your concerns heard. If you cannot attend the hearing you may still submit comments:
Written comments must be postmarked or e-mailed by midnight, July 8, 2011, when the hearing record closes. E-mails must specify Gateway Mine NPDES in the subject line and must be sent to: epa.publichearingcom@illinois.gov. The hearing record is a file containing the hearing transcript and written comments. Comments need not be notarized and should be sent to:
Hearing Officer Dean Studer
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
1021 North Grand Avenue East
P. O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
Phone 217-558-8280
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Specific concerns:
- This permit should not be issued as it does not address entire scope of anticipated mine operations and impacts. Peabody Coulterville Mining, LLC has filed an application with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources-Office of Mines and Minerals to nearly double their mining operation. Coal brought to the surface will be transferred to the Gateway Mine’s Central Cleaning Plant for washing, leaving behind millions of gallons of slurry with discharges to area streams. This proposed water pollutioin permit does not acknowledge the expansion and only addresses a fraction of the overall anticipated impacts from Peabody’s Gateway Mine.
- The Gateway Mine should not be allowed to expand its operations until it has corrected its ongoing permit noncompliance and addresses degradation of groundwater and fugitive coal ash dust.
- Peabody Coulterville Mining’s Gateway Mine is not in compliance with their permit for discharges of total iron, settleable solids and total suspended solids to area streams. Groundwater quality standards are not being met at monitoring wells at the Gateway Mine site and fugitive dust from the coal ash and slurry ponds are contaminating adjacent land and water.
- Illinois EPA has not adequately assessed the impacts the mine will have on water quality and wildlife in Randolph County. The draft permit does not fully address pollution impacts from increased coal ash and lime sludge disposal, expanded mining or from the expansion of onsite slurry disposal. Further, the Illinois EPA has not fully assessed the conditions and existing uses of each of the streams that will be receiving pollution from the mine site.
- Peabody proposes to remove protections afforded under the Clean Water Act for an onsite lake. The draft permit instead proposes using the lake to dilute mining pollution before discharging to area streams.
Protect Clean Water from Factory Farms!
Please contact your state Representative and state Senator immediately!
Ask them to support the Clean Water Funding Fairness Bill
(S.B. 1682 - Rep. Tryon)
HOUSE VOTE MAY HAPPEN THURSDAY MAY 26, SENATE VOTE BY MAY 31!
Water sample collected from an Illinois stream polluted by livestock waste, May 24, 2011
We need your help because Illinois Farm Bureau and the livestock assocations have been lobbying against S.B. 1682. Delay tactics are being used to keep the bill from coming up for a floor vote. The bill passed out of the House Executive Committee on May 18, but still needs to pass the full House and Senate by May 31 when the session ends.
This Bill will help protect clean water by requiring livestock operations that pollute to pay their fair share of Illinois’ Clean Water Act program costs.
Currently all pollution dischargers have to pay an annual permit fee, except livestock operations. The Illinois EPA uses these fees to fund its regulatory program. The bill ends this exemption by establishing a permit fee, to be set by Illinois EPA in rulemaking and not to exceed $1200.
This bill is endorsed by the Illinois EPA and by numerous environmental groups including the Illinois Citizens for Clean Air & Water, Environment Illinois, and Prairie Rivers Network.
For more information on this issue, see our Factory Farm pages.
To send an email that automatically goes to your elected representatives, use this link.
Or, call your Senator and Representative at their Springfield office and tell them that you support the Clean Water Funding Fairness Bill. See here to find your legislators’ telephone numbers.
Voice your support for stronger rules on air pollution from power plants
After years of delays and court orders the EPA is making a strong stand for public health and wildlife, proposing new rules that would require large polluters to stop emitting mercury, arsenic, dioxins, and other air toxics from their smokestacks.
Many of these pollutants, especially mercury, end up in rivers and lakes where they pollute water and build up in fish and other animals. In Illinois, the state advises people to not eat too much of several types of locally-caught fish because of harmful amounts of mercury in them.
EPA’s proposed rule will reduce releases of mercury to the air by 91%. Now, it is up to us to demonstrate powerful public demand over the next few months to keep the rule strong against industry attacks. EPA is accepting public comments now and will finalize their rule by November 2011. {Continue Reading »}
- Click image to download flyer.
On Tuesday, April 12th the public will have an opportunity to speak out to protect clean water from coal pollution. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing on the pending renewal of the Industry Mine’s NPDES water discharge permit. Located near Industry in McDonough and Schuyler Counties, the strip mine is one of the most polluting coal mines in the state. The Industry Mine has violated its permit over 300 times by discharging pollution (such as iron, manganese, and sulfates) at levels several times higher than allowed. {Continue Reading »}
We need your help today to pass a bill that will
strengthen oversight of factory farms in Illinois !
- Dairy cows inside a factory farm
Prairie Rivers Network, Environment Illinois, and Illinois Citizens for Clean Air & Water are supporting a bill to establish a fee for water pollution permits issued to factory farms.
Factory farms are the only major industry not subject to permit fees, leaving the taxpayers, not the livestock industry, to foot the bill.
If passed, the fee will cover the cost for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to administer both their livestock permitting and inspection programs.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency supports our bill, and will use the fees to improve their inadequate livestock program so it meets the standards of the federal Clean Water Act.
Members of the House and Senate Environment Committees need to hear there is public support for House Bill 3504 and Senate Bill 2209. And they need to hear soon, before the bills come up for committee vote.
Please take any or all of the following steps today:
Thank you for your actions to make a difference! And please contact Stacy James * sjames @ prairierivers.org * at the Prairie Rivers Network office if you are interested in participating in Environmental Lobby Day on March 30.
