Urgent News for Kentucky

BY RANDY WALTERS
Life in Kentucky is nearing a change that is like nothing we’ve ever seen thanks to the EPA and Kentucky’s Division of Water. Together these two government entities are doing more damage to our economy than a trainload of terrorists wearing suicide vests.
The Kentucky Division of Water has now decided that any operation that discharges water and has a KPDES, Kentucky Pollution Discharge Eliminating System permit will be held to the same standard as the coal industry.
This will include every industry in the state as well as the sewage plants owned and operated by our municipalities. To put this into perspective it means the water testing people who had previously been able to measure for water conductivity down stream from the outlet will have to start taking their samples at the source of the discharge as has always been the case for mining.
To make things even sweeter the EPA is now starting to introduce standards for water that will be less than 300 micro ohms per centimeter. Their logic is that continued discharge of water into Kentucky’s waterways, (eastern Kentucky) will kill off insects such as the Mayfly.
The Mayfly is doing just fine at this time, but they are predicting the future without solid scientific proof. The study they used to bring about the water conductivity scam is the “Pool” study, and it is not definitive. In fact, the study itself admits the possibility of not being correct.
This change in monitoring that will require all Kentucky permit holders be held to the same standards as the coal industry will cost Kentucky more than it can be realistically expected to pay. Not only will the cost of operating a manufacturing facility go sky high, but also the cost of flushing our toilets will become restrictive.
If you doubt the effect these bureaucrats will have on your financial status you are making a mistake. These tests are expensive, but the real cost will come in the form of upgrades to make the permit holders’ facilities compliant to state and federal regulation. It will be nothing for the operators of sewage disposal plants to have to come up with millions of dollars for their systems.
The water conductivity controversy has been mainly aimed at the coal industry, but the coal industry is not the bad boy in this deal. No, the highest water conductivity discharge levels are found in sewage plant discharge, and from storm drain run-off. To find coal mining in relationship to water conductivity you have to search much further down the list of polluters.
Biologist Joey Lewis of Hyden, Kentucky, and this writer, both representing Coal Fed Families, testified before the Kentucky Senate’s Natural Resource and Energy Committee in February of 2009, and told the members of the committee to expect this action to take place in the future.
We also warned them of the financial consequence it would create for local municipalities and Kentucky manufacturing concerns in that meeting these standards would require major funding. Any entity with a KPDES permit will be held to this standard, and 2012 is the year that many of these permits come up for renewal.
To make matters worse, the EPA has pulled all the pending permits for mining coal in Region IV. Their reason is one of mistrust of quality assurance requirements and testing of water in the region. The order to hold the permits up came directly from the White House. Unless this action is rescinded we will soon start to see mining come to a halt.
This will mean higher utility rates for everyone who owns a light bulb, and will drive industry from the state, possible the nation when you consider the international concerns, like GE, who operate here now.
All the talk about EPA easing up on requirements and regulation as a result of the adverse effect it will have on the economy were no more than the usual lip service we in the coalfields have had to deal with since Obama went into office.
Kentucky is getting shafted by the Obama Administration’s liberal EPA crew, and by Kentucky’s current Attorney General and Governor. Governor Beshear talks a big talk, but has not walked the walk in looking out for Kentucky. He has not filed a state sovereignty suit, nor has our liberal attorney general.
Coal Fed Families warned you about the possibility of such a situation, and now it is happening. Contact your representatives and senators both state and national. Tell them to back off or plan on leaving public office.