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I'm certain they clean up their mistakes, don't they? Didn't they clean up in Bhopal, India? All the brown fields in the states have been cleaned up, right?
As far as the coal industry goes the answer is yes. There is a tax applied to all new mining activity that is used to clean up long abandoned mines. It's actually quite unique AFAIK. If you wanted an analogy it would be like Ford paying to clean up the messes of some the thousands of now bankrupt car companies that were around at the turn of the last century.
part of the cost of doing business, coalman? if not you, who? the consumer? the government? the windmill industry?
if the car makers of the past left destruction like the coal industry, maybe the car makers of today would be saddled with the cost of that clean up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecoalman
As far as the coal industry goes the answer is yes. There is a tax applied to all new mining activity that is used to clean up long abandoned mines. It's actually quite unique AFAIK. If you wanted an analogy it would be like Ford paying to clean up the messes of some the thousands of now bankrupt car companies that were around at the turn of the last century.
I live in central PA and don't think fracking is just "a weapon used by the radical left." If it's "just a weapon" why did the federal have to step in and bring in fresh water to people who's water was contaminated in Susquehanna County as a result of fracking? Then Cabbot Oil and Gas had the nerve to say the federal government and the media was anti-natural gas drilling, no it's more like pro-safe and clean water? Who on this board would like to consume water that can be lit on fire? If fracking is safe why do I see trucks from fracking companies with hazmat placards on them? I'm all for getting energy from a domestic source, but I don't believe in contaminating the environment to do it. About 5-6 years ago when I found out these companies were coming to drill for gas I was all for it. I thought about the jobs and money that was coming to the area. Now, these gas companies could leave tomorrow for all I care. These gas companies think and act like they are above the law, and unfortunately have more than a few politicians in their back pockets, (Governor Corbett),. Case in point, this past summer one of the companies did testing on the ground behind my parents house. The test was NOT done on my parents land, but on the adjoining property. This fall, on my parents' ground, (which is close to where the testing was done), my dad noticed a spot where an oily substance was coming up from the ground, he also noticed that the deer were no longer drinking the water in a near by stream, (obvious when there's no tracks in the mud),. He went to DEP and told them of the situation. They, (DEP), told my dad that they wanted noting to do with the situation because of all that's involved! I thought DEP stood for Department of ENVIRONMENTAL Protection!!! I also thought DEP was a government agency, (I mean they have government plates on their vehicles), which means they work for us. Also, about 3 years ago there was an actual gas well a mile up the road from my parents' house. Since then, since my parents' are on a well, they have to change the water filter every 3-4 weeks when prior to that well it was about every 2-3months. The whole thing smells of politicians being bought and paid for by big business. The new American Dream! IMO fracking is more than "a weapon used by the left," and definately NOT "peachy clean."
I haven't offered my personal opinion on this, the exemption goes too far. It should of required them to disclose it to the regulatory bodies who would be required to keep it private unless there is court order. That would keep the information out of competitors hands and there would still be oversight.
I believe right at the beginning of this they actually offered to do that but that didn't sit well with the environmentalists groups.
It should be required clearly didn't matter. If one has something to hide, and gain from it, and the reach to be able to hide, they will do so and in this case, got it done.
if the car makers of the past left destruction like the coal industry, maybe the car makers of today would be saddled with the cost of that clean up.
Cars were just and example and I'm sure there is many facilities left behind that have required clean up just within the automotive industry, of course there is numerous industries across the country where the bill is being footed by the taxpayer for cleanup which is my point. The coal industry is unique in that these costs are being bared by companies that really are not responsible for the mess.
Cars were just and example and I'm sure there is many facilities left behind that have required clean up just within the automotive industry, of course there is numerous industries across the country where the bill is being footed by the taxpayer for cleanup which is my point. The coal industry is unique in that these costs are being bared by companies that really are not responsible for the mess.
Cars were just and example and I'm sure there is many facilities left behind that have required clean up just within the automotive industry, of course there is numerous industries across the country where the bill is being footed by the taxpayer for cleanup which is my point. The coal industry is unique in that these costs are being bared by companies that really are not responsible for the mess.
And surprisingly, few of the truly bad messes are ever cleaned up by the industries that created them. take a read on Bhopal sometime, it is a toxic cesspool with hundreds of surrounding drinking water wells ruined. A human life in India came to about $2,200.
Isn't there a coal fire under a town somewhere that has been burning for many years? Are there many abandoned surface and tunnel mines that need attention?
So, what are you saying, we should let the frackers off the hook now because other polluters, that came before them, escaped responsiblity for their actions.
Haven't we learned from our past? When are we going to hold the natural resources exploiters responsible for their action from the start? They always paint a rosy picture as they begin taking the natural resources, it is only after they have taken most of it that we discover they didn't plan to follow thru on their promises to restore the land and clean up their mess.
Still reading that 1987 EPA report, it sure doesn't paint a rosy picture...
Any coal mining operation pays this tax, it's certain amount of every ton of coal they produce. It goes into federal fund that is then distributed to the states to be used to clean up abandoned sites. Some of these sites could have been in existence for more than a century, there is no one to hold financially responsible for them.
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