Thursday, October 07, 2010
Activists File Notice Of Intent Against Kentucky Mines
KENTUCKY....
Environmental activists with Waterkeeper Alliance and Appalachian Voices say they have found 20,000 instances of violations of the federal Clean Water Act at three eastern Kentucky mines over a two-year period. The groups have filed a notice of intent to sue Frasure Creek Mining and ICG of Knott County and Hazard. The groups say they found numerous instances of forms signed and dated by supervisors before testing was conducted, forms copied and pasted from one quarter to the next, and testing dates scratched out and rewritten to appear compliant. Each of the 20,000 violations could net a minimum penalty of $37,500, totalling about $740 million. Any award from a lawsuit would go to the U.S. Treasury. Under federal law, after a notice of intent to sue is filed, defendants have 60 days to get into compliance, and state regulators have 60 days to take enforcement action. If that doesn't happen, a lawsuit can be filed. Donna Lisenby of Appalachian Voices.says R
regulatory agencies in Kentucky are not doing an adequate job of reviewing discharge monitoring reports. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.is the president of Waterkeeper Alliance.
Environmental activists with Waterkeeper Alliance and Appalachian Voices say they have found 20,000 instances of violations of the federal Clean Water Act at three eastern Kentucky mines over a two-year period. The groups have filed a notice of intent to sue Frasure Creek Mining and ICG of Knott County and Hazard. The groups say they found numerous instances of forms signed and dated by supervisors before testing was conducted, forms copied and pasted from one quarter to the next, and testing dates scratched out and rewritten to appear compliant. Each of the 20,000 violations could net a minimum penalty of $37,500, totalling about $740 million. Any award from a lawsuit would go to the U.S. Treasury. Under federal law, after a notice of intent to sue is filed, defendants have 60 days to get into compliance, and state regulators have 60 days to take enforcement action. If that doesn't happen, a lawsuit can be filed. Donna Lisenby of Appalachian Voices.says R
regulatory agencies in Kentucky are not doing an adequate job of reviewing discharge monitoring reports. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.is the president of Waterkeeper Alliance.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 3:38 PM 
