Desperately seeking COSOL-ation

For the most of the summer, we have been subjected to a non-ending barrage of news stories regarding the drought we’ve been in, and considering that the summer started with a deluge that wiped out a goodly portion of U. S. 460, closing down the section between the Chloe Creek red light and the Shelby bridge for what seemed like an eternity, amongst other acts of mischief, that we could be in a drought that must have started shortly thereafter requires a trip to the thesaurus to find a stronger term than “ironic”.

Droughts are never a good thing, as they tend to play havoc with a lot of our day-to-day plans, such as, oh, fishing, or drinking water, or washing clothes, or cars, or raising gardens (for the pitifully few of us who still do), or keeping the grass on the lawn alive (funny thing, pretty much all my grass is dead, but the lawn is still green, thanks to those weeds I keep trying to annihilate), or putting out the forest fires that the local arsonists insist on setting each fall. No, very few people ever find anything good to say about a drought, but like all such generalizations, there are exceptions. And, thanks to a story in the APEX, I think I have found one.

It was recently reported in our little paper that, thanks to the drought, the flow of water in the Levisa River is too low to allow our friends from the coal industry, Consol Energy, to follow through with their plans to begin to empty some worked-out mines in Virginia of the water that has since filled them, without the benefit of first treating it to take out those minor contaminants, such as PCB’s, various heavy metals, or any number of different acids that seem to lurk in worked-out mines, to name but a few of these pollutants. Normally, and this is especially the case with Pike County, no one likes to see contaminates dumped into their source for drinking water. In fact, it should be a given that everybody on God’s green earth, are pretty much of the same opinion, the exception being that group of the officials whose job it is to conduct the review process when a permit for such things is sought. Well, this is the coal industry, and so anybody that ostensibly has authority over it, will, when pushed, rubber stamp whatever document a coal company hands it.

Well, as they say, and rightfully so, sometimes man proposes, and God disposes. And, if a drought is what the insurance companies call an “act of God”, (An “act of God” is a catchall phrase from the world’s oldest profession that means, “We won’t be paying this claim.”), then this particular act of the Almighty may allow us some breathing room to again assail the unassailable, and have at go at getting that water treated before it gets released, and we have to do everything with this water that I mentioned in the second paragraph, while it smells like something else you can do in water, but before you flush the appurtenance into which you have done it.

Again, as I have had many opportunities to say over the last little bit, I do not like tilting at windmills, but every now and again, a fool’s errand is good for the blood. So, firstly, let me say that we can all e-mail the company in question, and appeal to their good side. This will be good for a laugh for all involved, and might even keep Consol off their game for a bit while we all go to plan B. So, for all those who like nothing better than e-mailing those great impersonal corporations for which a lot of us slave, to get your own personalized message to Consol, simply get on-line and google “Consol Energy contact” (without the quotation marks), and you will be taken to a site that will have everything handy for you. Simply fill out the form, and in the comment section, let ‘em have it! And don’t hold back, because, contrary to popular opinion, coal companies like to be criticized.

Now for Plan B. There is one other approach that might be just as futile as the first, but at least we can say that we tried this. Here I would like to suggest strongly that we contact the Members of Congress from Kentucky (the Honorable Hal Rogers, Rep from our own 5th Congressional District) and Virginia (Rick Boucher, Dem from the Old Dominion’s 9th Congressional District). The purpose of the communiqués we will be sending these gentlemen will be to entreat them to use their influence in the body in which they deliberate to obtain funds from a federal source to treat this water before it is released, such as, oh, the Abandoned Mine Lands fund (as in this phrase from the website osmre.gov-“... Office of Surface Mining may approve the expenditure of Abandoned Mine Land funds to abate hazards on those lands ...”.)

While I am at it, let me state that this column should be considered an open letter to each of these gentlemen, neither of which, I am sure, would want to skip an opportunity to do a service for their constituents.

There are, of course, several ways to contact a Member of Congress. There is the old fashioned method of “snail mail” (one wonders how the Post Office people view this description of their service), and the quicker e-mail. I will provide both to a public that I am certain is champing at the bits to get their thoughts on this matter to the Congressmen in question. And I suggest that everyone contact both, no matter which side of the border you live on.

To contact either Member of Congress via e-mail, simply google “contact Rick Boucher” or “contact Hal Rogers”, and you will be taken to a site that will be similar to the one you used to get the message across to Consol Energy. Very quick and painless. To write a letter, try the following addresses: The Honorable Rick Boucher 2329 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515; or U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers 2406 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515. Tell these good gentlemen in as many words as necessary why you do not wish to drink Consol’s contaminated water, but if they cannot see it your way, invite them both over later for what you will call “iced tea”, but which will be, in fact, plain tap water.