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It seems rather reckless to allow such chemicals stored where they could endanger waterways in the first place. Yet according to the article West Virginia's Environmental Protection Agency was well aware of the practice as they had been to the cite multiple times over the past few years. The governorship in West Virginia has been in control by Democrats for 13 years. It's the environmentalists that provided money, zeal and manpower to Democrats to get them elected. What is so ironic is the chemical that leaked into the river is used to treat coal to cut down on the ash by orders of the EPA as they have declared coal ash hazardous.
Energy and mining industry interests out spend environmental interests by more than 100 to 1 in terms of lobbying and contributions. They write their own rules. While Democrats, especially coal country ones, are far from perfect on environmental protection, they are infinitely better than today's Republicans are. Remember last time we had a Republican running things his Secretary of the Interior was a Mining Industry Lobbyist. His head of the forest service was a Timber Industry Lobbyist. The problem is not environmental groups, its the industry groups and the politicians they own.
Lobbying spending by Energy and Natural Resources for 2013: $261,382,097
http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?indexType=c&showYear=2013
Lobbying spending by Environmental Groups: $10,836,933
And we wonder why Environmental Regulation and Enforcement is so watered down.
By the way, coal ash is hazardous, the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history was a ash / slurry spill in Tennessee. I swear, what is with some people constantly wanting to shoot the good guys...
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