TESTIMONY BEFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HEARINGS- THURSDAY, 

MAY 24,2012 

Good afternoon, members of the Environmental Protection Agency. I am Sylvia C. Ridgeway, 

a resident of Huntington West Virginia. My comments focus on the environment in the state 

of West Virginia. 

West Virginia is known s the mountain state, with its beautiful, healthy mountains, streams 

and valleys. Yet, many are being destroyed by mountaintop mining. Though West Virginia 

mining is important because coal production serves a great percentage of the heating in this 

nation, big mining companies resist EPA regulations that call for cleaner coal processing, that 

which is safe for miners and to the health of all who live near t he mining operations. It 

appears that the important focus is profit rather than the health of West Virginians. A study 

done on communities affected by mountaintop mining on Coal River in Raleigh and Boone 

Counties on a total of 409 people and in Pocahontas County on a total of 360, a non-mining 

community, revealed that cancer rates were higher in the mining community than in the nonmining community. The cancer rate was higher in ways not explainable by age, gender, 

smoking, occupational exposure, or family history of cancer. 

On a personal level, my youngest son, who is now 47 years old, was diagnosed with chronic 

asthma before age one; I was diagnosed with asthma only four years ago. To my knowledge, 

no one in our family was asthmatic, so the answer is possibly poor air quality due to chemical 

pollution. My son moved to California, where smog is heavy but, to our family's surprise, he 

gets along fine. It isn't until his plane touches down when he comes home for a visit that he 

begins to have asthma attacks and must use an inhaler, as I do also. 

Chronic diseases do not happen by accident. The fact is, America is hooked on coal, and, 

according to the executive summary of a report titled "Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before 

People", the "coal blooded charts" of that report revealed that of ten coal plants that were 

studied in West Virginia, the John Amos plan in Winfield received a failing plant grade of D+ 

because of the percentage of chemical emissions it causes. Needless to say, poor whites and 

people of color live near these power plants. Approximately 71% of African Americans live in 

areas in violation of air pollution standards. Race, over income, is the #I predictor of whether 

a person lives near a polluting facility. An African American making $50,000 per year is more 

likely to live in an area cited for air pollution that a White American making only $15,000 per 

year. 
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Certain studies reveal that plant pollution emissions in the U.S. are responsible for 30,000 Premature 

deaths, 7,000 asthma-related emergency room visits, and 18,000 cases of chronic bronchitis each year. 

Asthma affects African Americans at a 46 percent higher rate of incidence than White Americans. In 

West Virginia, asthma is relatively high. 

The Marcellus shale process known as "tracking" must not be overlooked. Fracking is responsible for 

gas leaks and water pollution that are causing people and animals to become sick, and is making it 

possible for some people to light their tap water on fire. 

Included as an addendum to my comments are pictures which depict the dangers of contamination to 

people's well water supply. One picture shows an October 2009 cleanup of a coal sludge spill. Another 

reveals dark red water in a bath tub; it is this poisoned water by slurry that can cause skin rash, birth 

defects, cancers, hair loss, kidney problems and more. 

To conclude, there is no doubt that the environmental issue must be resolved between the EPA and 

state legislatures. Drilling permits need to be awarded with caution, based on the areas and degrees of 

drilling, cost to families, and enough EPA monitors to ensure that the process of mine and gas drilling 

are done properly and safely, so that our air, water and land in West Virginia and across the nation are 

protected against lung disease, cancer, and chronic conditions that cause insurance rates to skyrocket, 

hospitals to become overcrowded, and to ultimately reject the idea that profit is more important than 

the health of our citizens. Thank you. 

s.c.ridgeway@att.net 
PICTURES 

HELP 

TELL 

THE 

STORY!!! 
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iD~~S ~ 

BJf:ige 

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'7he ief';: anci :ight photos a~2 of the same scene.lri tdola~~on of i'eg:.liaHons, grave! was ~laced dfrecz!y o>~ to!) of the strearn beri. The stream crossed the road 

c::-:G 5e~!o:..!s sed:me::t:tiG:" FOhiems r~sl!iteci ·f:om indus!ry truck traffic 

Streams are be~ng suck~d dry. ~his ~s baG 

tor flsh~r;£, -tau:-:s~, r~c2a:ticn and tP ~ aquatk hea:th a"f our 

waterways. 

-- ~ -~ --~ Ti1e!'e is no accountability for w~ste wate~ 

disposal. 7h2 O!"!~Y W2.jl '~C detect mega I dumping is to catch the 

Whii2 the J~P advis2s injection of frack:ng flowback in !lllderg:roureZ we!is, t~1e ·~uture capacity of undergrm.md ir.jection is 

qu~s::or.ade, and ~her~ ar2 ~o vlab\2 alternativ2s. 

?its ~hat hz~C ~J~,rastewa',:er are buried 'Jns:te aiong with :he 

s~udqe of to}:;c sedi~erit mat:r.g the liner. 

'0 ·-

_.>::,: ::.-::, :~ ~. ~aiiure of {ementing an.d .:csi:1g is ieadir.g to blow· 

outs a~C 'Nater I.Neli :ontam~nation. 

Spiiis, !eaks ar.d explosior.s O{car, but .emergeilcy and dean up 

.-::;ev~,-·s de ;10~ ~mmeG~ate~y kr!ow the chemica.s invoived. 

-·----~ ·-·· -~ Ou lNestVirginia 

Uepartment of Envircnmen~ai Protection lacks the resources 

to dea~ with the ov~rw~e!ming surge i!~ Marcel!us shale gas 

driiiing. 

Accumulated emissions of flaring, ver.ting and 

;eaK~!l£' at weHs, compressor stations and pipelines and exhaust 

cf ·;:hm..lsands of c:esel trucks :n areas of concentrated drilling 

are ~xc-:;ecEns ::~r =!ua\lty ~ea!~h !bits. 

Require mandatory pe~mits with recorded logging of water 

withdrawa!s for Marcellus gas drilling. 

) '"; -~ -

Enact regulation requiring a closed loop system for containment of waste water with ;-ecorded logging of disposal 

volumes. 

Enact a state water quality standard for Total Dissolved 

Solids of250 mg/l, consistent with the federal standard for 

prote(ting human health. 

~nact regulation requiring disposal of pit liners and contents: 

jr, authorized hazardous waste facilities. 

Require on site inspection and approval of cement bond log 

and casing integrity test by WVDEP before drilling proceeds. 

Require public disclosiure of all chemicals used in track fluid. 

Require emergency plans as qualification for granting 

permits. 

Require permit fees and severance taxes sufficient to cover 

the full costs of expanded inspection and enforcement, road 

repair, and an environmental remediation fund. Taxpayers 

should not pay for costs generated by industry. 

En an reguiation r!!quiring air quality monitoring a!ld use 

of best management processes for controlling emissions 

in gas drilling de'!elopment areas, particularly compressor 

statlons. 
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E)ludge Satet_y 

Pr~ect 

A Project of Coal River Mountain Watch, 

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and 

West Virginia Communities 

Photo: Oct. 2009 Cleanup of Coal Sludge Spill 

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Co~l Sludge impacts 

Underground Injection Impacts: 

A Public Health Crisis 

Slurry can travel underground and poison 

drinking wells. Heavy ,netals in slurry are 

sometimes thousands uf times g:eater than 

safe drinking vv·ater limits. 

\Vater poisoned by slurry can cause senous health problems -birth defects, caLccrs, 

skin t-ashcs, hair loss, attention deficit disorder in children, kidney problems and more. 

·.··~.· ' .. , •. 

Underground Injection Impacts: 

Public Safety Emergencies 

lw.poundments are public safety eme:gencies \Vaiting to happen. 

These huge unlined impoundments leach 

chemicals and metals into local streams, 

poisoniog streams and rivers. 

Impoundment dams have broken and burst, 

burying local communities under literai 

\'Vails of toxic sludge. The Buffalo Creek dam 

break and ;\·lartin County impoundment 

burst proved that sludge ponds pose a consta!lt emergency threat to loc::3.l communities.