Inez, Kentucky Coal Slurry Disaster, October 2001

[Note: October 11, 2006 is the sixth anniversary of the Inez Coal Slurry Disaster. Inez, Kentucky sits on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia, in the heart of Appalachian coal mining country. A containment berm which held millions of gallons of toxic coal slurry, a by-product of coal production, failed. The slurry spilled out into the Big Sandy River via several tributaries, including the Tug Fork.

Interestingly, Inez also holds distinction for another reason. In 1964, President Johnson declared war on poverty on the front porch of Tommy Fletcher, an Inez resident.]

Long live the Tug Fork Bluegill!

Anybody want to go fishing? This week marks the sixth anniversary of the Inez Coal Slurry Spill that dumped over 300 million gallons of thick, toxic coal sludge into the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River. This environmental disaster, arguably one of the worst in Southeast U.S. history, killed 1.6 million fish and stained an area 20 times that of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Did we learn our lesson here? Maybe, or maybe not…

Massey Coal Company spent $46 million to clean up the mess and more to re-stock the fish killed in the disaster. That put a big dent in their pocketbook. In retrospect, that money would have been much better spent employing local citizens to prevent disasters like this (and it would have cost the company much less!).

Maybe if the folks from Massey Coal went fishing with their grandkids on the Tug Fork, they would get a better idea about why this was such a devastating event for the folks in Inez.

Unfortunately, nothing has been done to prevent disasters like this from happening again. Massey Coal and other mining companies operate hundreds of other coal slurry impoundments in Kentucky and West Virginia that are weaker than the one that failed in Inez. What improvements have been made to those? Nothing. What’s up with that?

Companies like Massey Coal should employ local residents to regularly inspect coal slurry impoundment sites for structural weaknesses. When those weaknesses are found, more locals should be put to work fixing the weak spots. This would be much cheaper than another cleanup and more jobs means a better economy.

Just last August, 300 feet of Ohio’s pristine Captina Creek were fouled with coal slurry that spilled from a pipeline, resulting in a massive fish die-off and cleanup. Cleanups really just cover the mess over. Look underneath the pretty green grass, and the slurry is still there, leaching contaminants into the ground and water.

The United States’ supply of coal, projected to last at least 250 years, is comparable to Saudi Arabia’s supply of oil. Yeah man! Since the coal companies are going to be around for a while, let’s all put our heads together and make this a great place to live while we extract these resources. There is no sense desecrating our land to benefit Big Coal’s shareholders.

I am not against coal mining. I like the cheap source of electricity and I am proud that this area provides so much of the energy for the Southeast U.S. In fact, it is my local pride that drives my irritation. We should be proud of the local coal mining industry, rather than having to live in constant fear of its unregulated consequences.

According to the Kentucky Division of Water, acid from coal mines is responsible for toxic conditions in at least 35 streams across the state. These streams are currently unfit for fishing and swimming and will probably remain that way for a long time. I take my kids fishing on these streams!

The people of Kentucky and West Virginia deserve better. While coal mining does give much-needed employment to this region, this should not enable coal companies to run rough-shod over the area in its goal of maximizing profit and minimizing costs. Those “costs” are part of doing good business and being a respected corporate citizen. In addition, adding environmental safeguards would create more jobs for the region.

American Electric Power recently announced plans to install air quality ‘scrubbers’ on its Big Sandy Number Two Power Plant near Louisa. The scrubbers (which clean toxins out of the exhaust of the plant) are being installed as part of a $3.7 billion plan to improve environmental performance at several AEP plants around the U.S.

When he announced plans for these installations, Michael G. Morris, the AEP President and CEO stated that these improvements would not hinder the company’s ability to offer low-cost power to its customers. In fact, those environmental installations will employ hundreds of Ashland-area residents over the next few years.

It is time for Kentucky coal mining companies to be more proactive in their approach to environmental safety. They depend on this region to supply them with a steady supply of able workers. We are proud of our land because it provides jobs and recreation opportunities. At some point, we are going to have to stand up and speak, or lay in wait for the next coal slurry dam failure. Oh well, I’m going fishing…