War on coal? Response to coal’s war on us

To listen to our state politicians, one might think that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has tanks and guns overrunning West Virginia.

That the EPA might be starting to feebly enforce decades-old existing laws is not my idea of a war on coal. As a homeowner with an unwanted front-row seat to a strip mine, I know firsthand that few existing laws are ever enforced unless people who live nearby complain.

Drive along Sugar Grove Road from Cassville and see how well one local coal company does post-mining reclamation.

Much of the replaced topsoil on the slope has since washed down into Dents Run. Water flows freely from this mine that is never tested because it does not pass through a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System outfall.

After I complained to the state Department of Environmental Protection two notices of violation were issued for failure to revegetate, but no fine is to be paid. So why should this coal company do things any differently when the slope directly in front of us needs to be reclaimed?

According to the West Virginia state code, more than three serious blasting violations within a 12-month period should result in the mining permit being revoked.

The strip mine in front of us had four blasting violations in April of this year alone, but they still continue to blast and shake the foundations of the 25 homes in immediate proximity.

And then there’s the 19-hour-a-day noise from heavy equipment and dump trucks and dust that blows off the mine. But there are no laws against that.

The only reason environmental laws are starting to be enforced now is because local people directly impacted by strip mining are starting to complain.

This is not a war on coal but a response to coal’s war on us.

>>> Betsy J. Lawson, Morgantown