|
Coal Mining and the Environment
|
FYI
|
|
The food on an average dinner plate in the United States has traveled 1,300 miles.
Buying locally produced food supports the local economy, saves energy, and reduces pollution.
|
|
Source: Central Power and Light,
Watts News, March, 1994, 3.
|
|
Texas is the fifth largest producer of coal in the United States.
Texas also leads the nation in coal consumption by a large margin. Texas mines produce two-thirds of the coal consumed in the state.
During the 1990s, approximately 52 million tons of lignite were mined in Texas annually.* The sixth and twelfth largest coal mines
in America are located in Texas. The Martin Lake and Monticello mines, both owned by Texas Utilities Mining Co., produce nearly 25 million tons of lignite per year.*. More than 24 billion tons of lignite still lies beneath the surface.
By 2030, the state's coal consumption is expected to be about 180 million tons per year, twice as much as the state
consumed in 1990.* The state's appetite for coal, however, has caused serious pollution problems. Five of the top ten
sources for air pollution in the state are coal-fired electric power plants.* They release nitrogen oxides, VOCs,
particulate matter, and mercury. Coal-fired power plants are also a major reason why Texas is the leading U.S.
contributor of carbon dioxide from all sources. In addition, studies have linked elevated selenium levels in a number of East Texas lakes with nearby coal-fired power plants.*
Coal burning produces large quantities of human carcinogens, such as arsenic, beryllium, copper, mercury, and
chromium. Burning coal also produces sulfur dioxide, an air pollutant that can cause acid rain. Acid rain poses a serious
threat to East Texas lakes, which have little ability to counter acidic input.* In addition to air quality problems linked to
coal consumption, strip mining presents a range of problems. Since 1982 more than 52,000 acres of land in the state have been strip-mined for lignite.* Adequate reclamation of strip-mined property is expensive and time consuming.
Usually, sites are replanted with just one type of plant material. Biologists point out that the resulting monoculture does not support a diversity of wildlife.* In addition, the strip-mined land can be subject to subsidence and erosion.
Uranium Mining and the Environment
The nuclear power industry depends on uranium. For decades Texas was a leading producer of this heavy, silvery
white element, which can also be made into nuclear weapons. In the mid-1970s, when the price of uranium was over
$40 per pound, nearly a dozen companies were operating some 35 uranium-mining sites in seven South Texas
counties. Today, with no demand for uranium,, only one uranium mine is in operation in the state.*
|
COAL/LIGNITE AND URANIUM SURFACE MINES
|
|
|
|
Source:
http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/divisions/sm/programs/regprgms/mineinfo/mines.htm (May 1999).
|
|
Today, most uranium mining is done with injection wells, which pump fluid through the
geologic formations where the mineral is found. Production wells then bring the uranium-bearing solution to the surface. Called solution mining, this method causes relatively
little disturbance on the surface. This process can, however, contaminate groundwater, which must then be pumped out and disposed of by injection into deep formations below
freshwater aquifers.
Uranium used to be strip mined with technology similar to that used in coal mining.
These uranium strip-mine operations created large areas requiring remediation. Large tailing ponds have been created to contain the radioactive materials. These ponds, located in
Karnes and Live Oak counties, may pose a long-term threat to surface water and subsurface aquifers because they are subject to leakage. Federal law requires the tailing
ponds, which contain materials that will remain radioactive for more than 1,600 years, to be covered so that rainwater does not mix with the radioactive waste. These pond
coverings may be eroded over time by water and wind, which could allow radium to escape into the atmosphere. The ponds must be monitored for centuries to ensure that they are
properly containing the radioactive waste.
|
