Environmentalists: Obama’s pick for director to oversee coal mining is strongly opposed

September 11, 6:40 PM
Seattle Environmental Policy Examiner
Jean Williams

The Center for Biological Diversity has stepped up as the leader in this growing opposition via a Thursday press release that strongly opposed the nomination of Joseph Pizarchik as director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement because of his dismal environmental record.

As director of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Mr. Pizarchik consistently made decisions that benefited industry at the expense of the environment and communities living in mining areas.

The press release from the Center goes on to say: Mr. Pizarchik’s environmental record includes advocating for unsafe disposal of toxic coal ash, disregarding the scientific evidence concerning coal-ash pollution, weakening stream buffer-zone rules, promoting valley fills, and downplaying the devastation caused by long-wall mining. Moreover, his agency has failed to meet legal requirements to prevent water pollution and has attempted to block citizens from obtaining information under public record laws.

“Given the environmental crisis our country faces, we can’t afford to have someone in this position with a record of consistently downplaying the devastating effects of coal mining and coal ash on the environment,” said Tierra Curry, biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

There have been several candidates under consideration in the past six months.

According to an article in the Charleston Gazette: the last public word from the White House or the Interior Department about the OSMRE job came in late April, when Interior staffers claimed the administration had “cast a very wide net” for OSMRE candidates. Those comments came after various citizen groups, along with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, criticized Obama for offering the job to Glenda Owens, a longtime Interior Department employee whose background — reported in detail in Coal Tattoo — didn’t exactly show she was all that interested in cracking down on coal industry abuses.

The Mountain Watershed Association, an environmentally conscious group from Pennsylvania, has also voiced their concern in a letter to their state senator.

The letter says (in part):

We do not believe this is a good choice as several environmentally dangerous policies have been expanded under his watch. One of these is the practice of burying power plant waste in unlined pits, sometimes in old mines, creating contamination in groundwater.

Spokeswoman for Black Mesa Water Coalition, Wahleah Johns, had this to say about the candidate in an urgent alert to speak out against the nomination:

We are hoping that you join the effort to oppose Joseph Pizarchik’s nomination for Office of Surface Mining (OSM) Director. Apparently, Pizarchik has a track record of favoring coal companies and ignoring community environmental concerns. Here in the southwest we are frightened by his nomination because this means more desecration of our natural landscapes for coal mining and testing grounds for future CCS (carbon capture sequestration) projects. OSM is in charge of approving coal mining permits across the country. And OSM’s structure for approving mining permit needs to undergo serious change, the standards and code books for OSM are so outdated. In addition, their process for approval does not have to inform commmunity folks or ask for permission to bomb lands in our backyards.

President Obama made the promise that he would appoint people in his administration that would make decisions based on sound science, not politics. So far, his choices have received mixed reviews from the environmental community. Especially, regarding the choice of Ken Salazar for Secretary of Interior, who has made very controversial decisions on endangered wildlife, pertaining to polar bears and Northern Rockies gray wolves.

Next week is Joseph Pizarchik confirmation by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. To voice your concern, please consider contacting your senator and send a message that President Obama needs to keep his promise and carefully reconsider this choice.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5266-Seattle-Environmental-Policy-Examiner~y2009m9d11-Environmentalists-Obamas-pick-for-director-to-oversee-coal-mining-is-strongly-opposed

Groups say they'll sue to stop Grand Canyon mine

Comment: This is a good idea to sue the federal government. The federal governments are in the Canadian uranium-mining corporations pockets. Why are the federal and state governments all over the country allowing foreign corporations to come south and ruin our land for uranium mining? Demand the federal government to ban uranium mining now and demand we want true green energy for the future not the same old same old way of the past!

Posted: Sep 8, 2009 05:04 PM EDT

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - Environmental groups have given notice that they'll sue the federal Bureau of Land Management over its decision to allow a uranium mine to reopen near the Grand Canyon.

Canadian mining company Denison Mines Corp. says it could reopen its mine about 20 miles north of the canyon by the end of the year. Dennison received the final state permit it needed last week.

The BLM says Denison has an approved mine plan and should be allowed to resume operations after closing the site about 20 years ago.

But the Center for Biological Diversity, the Grand Canyon Trust and the Sierra Club argue that theBLM is relying on an old environmental analysis and isn't considering potential impacts on endangered species.

The notice the groups filed Tuesday says they plan to file a lawsuit in 60 days.

http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=11093764

Canada's 'toxic secret' soon to be made public

Canada allows the corporations to dump the tailings of any type plus uranium in lakes without the knowledge of the pollutants! Remember, Corporations dictate to the Federal and State government! Therefore, if the Canadian company comes to Virginia, they will do what they please and it will be legal!

Last Updated: Thursday, June 18, 2009 12:27 PM MT
CBC News

Environmental groups have long called the tailings lakes in the Alberta oilsands Canada's toxic secret, but companies operating there will soon be required to disclose exactly what pollutants are there.

In April, a federal court ordered Ottawa to make the mining industry release a complete inventory of what material they release into the environment. Now companies in the oilsands will also have to comply, CBC News has learned.

"It'll be the first time that Canadians have actually known what is in these tailings facilities and the extent of the pollution that these companies are producing," said Justin Duncan, a lawyer for the environmental groups that took the federal government to court on the issue and won.

Environment Canada has confirmed the lakes of sludge produced in the Alberta oilsands also fall under the ruling.

The pollution data will be ammunition for critics like David Schindler, a professor of ecology at the University of Alberta.

"The magnitude of the numbers is going to really shock people," Schindler said. "It's huge compared to any other mining development anywhere on the planet."

The contents of tailings lakes have not been kept secret, insists Alberta's Environment Minister Rob Renner.

"It certainly will improve transparency, and anything that can improve transparency is fine with me," Renner said Wednesday.

The court ruling forces mining companies to provide pollution data going back to 2006. By law, the information must be stored in an online database that the public will be able to see simply by typing in a postal code. For example, people living in Fort Chipewyan, in northern Alberta, will be able to type in their postal code and learn what kinds of pollutants are in their area.

There is no timeline for when the information will be available online, but it is expected to be in the next few months, Duncan said.

The Mining Association of Canada is worried about how the new pollution numbers will be interpreted by the public, Justyna Laurie-Lean, vice president environment and health, said Wednesday.

"The Mining Association of Canada maintains reporting mining pollution and tailings output shouldn't be taken at face value, because some materials deemed toxic are naturally occurring," Laurie-Lean said. "So excavating dirt would be considered creating pollution."

For that reason the association wants a separate reporting mechanism for mining and the oilsands.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2009/06/18/edmonton-oilsands-tailings.html