President Obama sends federal aid to W. Virginia coal town after chemical leak
By: PrairieDogPress
A chemical used to in the preparation process for mining coal leaked from Freedom Industries containment tanks into the Elk River in Charleston, WVa., on Thursday, causing Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to put a ban on use of water to approximately 300,000 local residents for drinking, bathing, washing clothes or cooking.
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich will lead an investigation into the chemical leak that contaminated the water system.
Brockovich told CNN’s Don Lemon Friday night, that incidents, like the one in Charleston are happening far too often when shortcuts and negligence result in the compromise of safety. She said the first concern would be to get clean, potable water to the residents, who can’t even brush their teeth or wash their hands after going to the bathroom.
“When things like this happen, we respond accordingly,” Brockovich said in a phone interview Friday. “People have contacted us who are concerned, and it’s certainly a scenario that concerns us. I mean, there are 300,000 people without water right now
President Barack Obama ordered a state of emergency for Charleston Friday morning, reported USA Today, and the Department of Homeland Security will coordinate efforts with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local authorities.
“The president today declared an emergency exists in the State of West Virginia and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts,” said an administration statement.
The measure is precautionary because authorities simply don’t know the impact the chemical foaming agent could have on humans. The substance was reported to be chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol. It wouldn’t be lethal, said officials, but could cause skin and eye irritations and would likely be harmful if swallowed.
Officials determined approximately 5,000 gallons leaked from the storage tanks and contaminated a large area of ground surface before reaching the Elk River.
“The water has been contaminated,” said Tomblin, who didn’t know how long the emergency declaration would last. The governor asked FEMA to supply bottled water to the town because grocery shelves were quickly cleared of water and ice when the word got out.
According to a report in the Washington Post, FEMA also planned to deliver more than a million liters of water from nearby Maryland.
In addition, some companies were volunteering bottled water and other supplies, including soft drinks, like Pepsi and Coke.
Local authorities have advised that water should be used for flushing toilets only, even if it is boiled.
President of Freedom Industries, Gary Southern, who reportedly has only been on the job for nine days, tried to walk away from a press conference, but was stopped by reporters. He apologized to the people of Charleston, but couldn’t give many details on how the leak happened, but admitted under pressure from Mayor Danny Jones that holes in the wall of the tank could be the main problem.
Jones also said Freedom Industries representatives weren’t very cooperative in the initial stages, since they failed to use the call line when the leak was discovered, as required. The first indication of the leak was a heady candy-like smell that prompted complaints from local residents.
Booth Goodwin, US Attorney for the Southern District of Virginia released a statement on the situation and told reporters it was too soon to tell if charges would be filed against the chemical company, because an investigation is needed, but if negligence caused the chemical release, it could warrant criminal charges.
CNN reported that 5 people have been taken to the hospital for nausea and vomiting.
“Until we get out and flush the actual system and do more testing, we can’t say how long this (advisory) will last,” West Virginia American Water President Jeff McIntyre told The Associated Press.
The water ban closed restaurants, medical clinics, nursing facilities, hospitals and any other business that routinely uses tap water.
In addition, the state legislature had canceled sessions on Friday.
Reports say the water ban affected customers of the West Virginia American Water Company in nine counties, including Kanawha, Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam and Roane.
Schools will be closed in at least five counties, according to Liza Cordeiro, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Education.
It was not known how the spill happened or the level of chemical concentration involved, but authorities were working quickly, including testing the water every hour.
Late Friday, there was still no word on how long the state of emergency will last, but the spill adds another argument to environmentalists’ long and growing list against the use of coal.
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Jean Williams, environmental and political journalist; PrairieDogPress writer; Artistic Director, Keystone Prairie Dogs.***PrairieDogPress is the media channel for keystone-prairie-dogs.com, which is a fundraising website to support environmental groups for extraordinary efforts to protect Great Plains habitat and prairie dogs in the wild. PDP uses humorous images, social commentary and serious-minded political reports to challenge government on numerous levels, including accountability to the people, the protection of threatened species, the environment and Earth’s natural resources.
