The Big Bad Wolf: a Deeper Look at the Coal Industry and Its Victims
Brittney Jones
HUM 202
12 Nov 2012
The Big Bad Wolf: A Deeper Look at the Coal Industry and Its Victims
On October 11, 2000, residents of a lush and beautiful area once named Eden awoke to find their homes and property covered in a hazardous coal waste. This waste, known as coal slurry or sludge, poured into the headwaters of two major waterways in Martin County, Kentucky. All aquatic life was wiped out, and all drinking water for local residents was ruined. Several committees and reports were created to find the reason for this spill and ensure it was avoided in the future; however, these creations merely stood as reassurance that the responsible company, Massey Energy, would not face any serious repercussions. The continuous and unpunished negligence of Massey Energy caused one of the largest and most toxic waste spills in our country’s history. Martin County will never be the same beautiful Eden that it once was (Reece 124).
Slurry is the solid and liquid waste by-product of coal production. Many chemicals are used to wash the mined coal in order to eliminate any unwanted material. A massive amount of waste is produced from this, and coal companies have been building toxic lakes for years to fill with the slurry. This hazardous waste, contrary to claims of the coal industry, is very harmful and contains carcinogenic chemicals as well as toxic components of coal such as arsenic, lead, and mercury (Reece 129). At a town meeting in Martin County following the spill, the Environmental Protection Agency told local residents that “there was nothing in the slurry that wasn’t on the periodic table” (Reece 129). If this statement was meant to ease the worry of the community, it was a poor attempt. The EPA’s claims are beyond ridiculous, seeing as how cancer causing elements such as uranium and radium lie on the periodic table.
The slurry pond which spilled over 300 million gallons into Martin County was meant to have a sturdy barrier separating it from the
HUM 202
12 Nov 2012
The Big Bad Wolf: A Deeper Look at the Coal Industry and Its Victims
On October 11, 2000, residents of a lush and beautiful area once named Eden awoke to find their homes and property covered in a hazardous coal waste. This waste, known as coal slurry or sludge, poured into the headwaters of two major waterways in Martin County, Kentucky. All aquatic life was wiped out, and all drinking water for local residents was ruined. Several committees and reports were created to find the reason for this spill and ensure it was avoided in the future; however, these creations merely stood as reassurance that the responsible company, Massey Energy, would not face any serious repercussions. The continuous and unpunished negligence of Massey Energy caused one of the largest and most toxic waste spills in our country’s history. Martin County will never be the same beautiful Eden that it once was (Reece 124).
Slurry is the solid and liquid waste by-product of coal production. Many chemicals are used to wash the mined coal in order to eliminate any unwanted material. A massive amount of waste is produced from this, and coal companies have been building toxic lakes for years to fill with the slurry. This hazardous waste, contrary to claims of the coal industry, is very harmful and contains carcinogenic chemicals as well as toxic components of coal such as arsenic, lead, and mercury (Reece 129). At a town meeting in Martin County following the spill, the Environmental Protection Agency told local residents that “there was nothing in the slurry that wasn’t on the periodic table” (Reece 129). If this statement was meant to ease the worry of the community, it was a poor attempt. The EPA’s claims are beyond ridiculous, seeing as how cancer causing elements such as uranium and radium lie on the periodic table.
The slurry pond which spilled over 300 million gallons into Martin County was meant to have a sturdy barrier separating it from the
Cited: “Coal Slurry Spill Investigation Suppressed.” Union of Concerned Scientists. 26 May 2009. Web. 5 Nov 2012. Costello, Tom, perf. "Investigators: Mine Owners Cooked Books on Safety." NBC Nightly News. MSNBC: 29 Jun 2011. Web. 5 Nov 2012. Graves, G. (1993). "In the Morning We Had Bulldog Gravy: Women in the Coal Camps of the Appalachian South, 1900 - 1940." Dissertation. University of Kentucky. Reece, Erik. Lost Mountain: a Year in the Vanishing Wilderness: Radical Strip Mining and the Devastation of Appalachia. New York: Riverhead, 2006. Print.