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Toxic Air Pollution at Coal Mines Targeted
“This is another sordid example of a dirty energy giveaway that has to stop; simply put, coal mines have been given a free pass to pollute for too long,” said Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians’ Climate and Energy Program Director. “In the Powder River Basin and beyond, it’s time for the coal industry to come clean and keep poisonous orange clouds of gas out of the air we breathe.”
In a petition filed today with the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, Guardians called on the agency to adopt a national rule prohibiting blasting at coal mines that produces visible emissions of nitrogen oxide gases,which are seen as reddish to orange and brownish clouds of gas.
These clouds, which are often associated with massive strip mining operations in the Powder River Basin—the largest coal producing region in the U.S., can be lethal. They represent concentrations of nitrogen oxide gases that health and environmental agencies report exceed safety limits.
A byproduct of combustion, nitrogen oxide gases are known to be dangerous. In 2010, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency set a national standard limiting concentrations of nitrogen oxides to safeguard public health. At low levels, these gases are invisible. However, at concentrations above national health limits, they can be seen.
When visible, concentrations of nitrogen oxides may be up to300 times higher than national health limits.
In the Powder River Basin, orange clouds can be a frequent occurrence, sometimes forming and drifting over and near homes and communities. They have prompted numerous complaints over the years, with incidents of exposure even reported.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality has warned residents in the area to “stay inside anytime you see any NOx [nitrogen oxide] fumes from blasting at the neighboring mines, even if the fumes will travel well away from your house, as the wind usually carries any fumes quickly away from any point in the area.”
To see pictures of orange clouds in the Powder River Basin,check our a recent post on the blog, East of Billings, as well as pictures taken by WildEarth Guardians.
According to the Office of Surface Mining and others, including industry, reducing the size of blasting operations and taking other measures to limit the production of visible nitrogen oxide emissions can prevent orange clouds.
Despite this, no standards exist to prevent the creation of these dangerous gases. In Wyoming, regulators have only posted signs warning the public to “avoid contact” with orange clouds.
“The burden shouldn’t be on the public to run when there’s an orange cloud, it should be on the coal industry to take reasonable measures to prevent these lethal emissions,” said Nichols. “Unless the coal industry and regulators want to wait for people to get sick or worse before doing anything to address this very real problem, there’s absolutely no excuse to forestall action.”
Guardians’ rule making petition was filed under the U.S.Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, which requires the Office of Surface Mining to ensure that blasting at coal mines prevents “injury to persons.” Under the law, the agency is required to grant or deny the petition within 90 days.