WVDEP Secretary Grilled on Coal Slurry

The Legislature is going to keep an eye on coal slurry this year, if Sen. Unger and Del. Manchin have their way. This article from the Gazette explains that Randy Huffman, Secretary of the WVDEP, was called before the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources and asked why his agency has failed to report to the Legislature on disposal of coal slurry in underground mine voids in the state.

Coal slurry is generally composed of coal refuse, or the rock and dirt that come out of the mine with the coal, along very small coal particles. The rock and fine coal is separated from the coal, often in a flotation system at a preparation plant, and has to be disposed somewhere. Sometimes it is sent to a pond to decant and either closed in place or hauled off, or it can be pumped back underground into old mine tunnels and shafts as a slurry. It differs from the slurry that was released from the TVA plant last year, in that the TVA plant handled coal combustion byproducts (ash and other material left after burning coal in the boilers) and coal slurry is mostly non coal rock and dirt. For an update on what national legislation Nick Rahall (D-WV) has introduced regarding regulation of coal combustion byproducts, you can see what Cindy Rank of the WV Highlands Conservancy has to say.