PINEVILLE — 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.
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.
That sounds like scary stuff. It is strange why people still defend coal in 2024, when there are better options such as natural gas, hydro and wind. Less lives are lost with those sources of energy compared to coal.
Here is a US heat map of deaths attributed to coal (source:
Coal Power Killed Half a Million People in U.S. over Two Decades):
And another (
What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy?):
And here is the article posted by
@essentialsaltes (
Wyoming County residents say coal toxins contaminated their water) summary:
The article by Erin Beck, published on March 25, 2024, reports on the ongoing water contamination crisis in Wyoming County, West Virginia, caused by coal mining operations. The article focuses on the experiences of Richard Altizer and James Christian, residents whose homes were affected by the contaminated water, and the community's struggle to cope with the consequences.
The article describes how the contaminated water gushed from the ground at Christian's home over a year ago, flooding their yard and seeping into their house. Since then, the residents have been dealing with black and pungent water coming from their wells, dead animals, and health issues. The DEP concluded that the flooding was caused by underground pressure from the Pinnacle Mining Complex, but the responsible parties have yet to be held accountable.
The coal industry's decline and bankruptcies have left many abandoned mine sites unrestored, with the state failing to set aside funds for cleanup efforts. The DEP maintains that it has taken necessary steps to force the owners of the Pinnacle Mining Complex to fix the problem, but residents feel ignored and unprotected.
The article also discusses the ongoing legal battle between coal companies over responsibility for the contamination. Pinn MC Wind Down Co., a spin-off of a bankrupt company, is suing Bluestone Resources, which is owned by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice's family. Bluestone, in turn, denies responsibility and has countersued. Alpha Metallurgical Resources is also being sued for owning the mining rights to the mine seam discharging dirty water.
The article provides details about the impact of the contamination on residents' lives, including dead animals, lost income from livestock, and health issues. Some residents have had to spend money they don't have to try to clean the water, while others are unable to leave their homes due to health concerns and the inability to afford a move. The contaminated water has also spread to nearby creeks, potentially affecting more residents, and eventually reaching larger bodies of water such as the Guyandotte River and the Ohio River.
The article highlights the frustration and despair of the community, who feel that they have been abandoned by both the coal companies and the state regulatory agencies. The situation remains unresolved as water sampling continues, and coal companies take turns denying responsibility.
