Big Coal should know better than to mess with Washington State

[eridani]

Just this month, owners of Pacific Coast Coal Company applied for a permit to restart mining from a 110–year–old coal pit in Black Diamond, Washington. You read that right: Pacific Coast Coal wants to blast dirty coal right here in our backyard, shooting mercury, sulfur dioxide, and other toxins into our air.

Not surprisingly, Pacific Coast Coal is trying to sneak this permit through without a public hearing. They want to use an outdated Environmental Impact Statement from 1986 to avoid complying with stronger clean air and clean water protections. Their plan would be a disaster for our community, and we can't let them sneak through without a fight.

We only have until May 13 to demand that federal oversight officials hold public hearings on Pacific Coast Coal's plans. Send a comment to the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement now to demand a public hearing about coal mining in Black Diamond!

http://act.fusewashington.org/letter/BlackDiamondCoalHearing/?t=1&referring_akid=1017.5847.tuEwRz

The so called "big dirty" coal seam at the John Henry mine in Black Diamond has been inactive for more than 10 years due to the economic downturn and environmental concerns. No one wanted to buy the mine because it was too dirty and deadly.

By ignoring environmental concerns and slamming the permit through, Pacific Coast Coal wants to re–open the mine for blasting. The unsettled, decrepit, and seeping coal pit is not only a serious health concern, but it is also in spitting distance of aquifers, lakes, creeks, and sensitive wetland that Black Diamond is protecting for the future.1

Now is the time to ensure that we are moving forward toward a clean energy economy instead of mining more coal from our backyard. We have until May 13 to submit comments to the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement, to demand a thorough public hearing about mining coal in Black Diamond.

Reference: www.ci.blackdiamond.wa.us/Depts/NaturalResources/docs/Best%20Available%20Science%20Document.pdf

[WhiteTara]

1. These old men are amazing, aren't they?

Sucking the last bits of money they can from every old investment so they can have the biggest pile of money when they die. I'm so sad they can't realize they will go so naked into the next world, they don't even get this body. Meanwhile the rest of the population is doomed to a lower quality of life existence.

[progressoid]

2. If we don't change our energy habits, the mining of this coal will inevitably happen