Blog Archive

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Coal slurry from broken Murray Energy pipeline pollutes pristine southeastern Ohio creek, killing thousands of fish and aquatic animals

Sierra Club - Explore, enjoy and protect the planet

Dear Friend,
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Take Action!
Two weeks ago, we found out about another spill – this time it's coal slurry from a Murray Energy pipeline into a pristine southeastern Ohio creek.  Sierra Club activists went out to survey the effects of the spill first hand – over 4,000 fish and aquatic animals have been killed so far.1 Spills like this are becoming way too routine – it's almost every week that a pipeline is breaking somewhere across the country.  We must do better.
And we can.  Congress is currently looking at pipeline safety legislation to start tackling this problem.
A month ago, a natural gas pipeline ruptured in San Burno, California.  The explosion killed four people and destroyed three dozen homes.  Then two months back, there was the tar sands2pipeline spill in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Oil companies are currently pushing for massive new tar sands pipelines, like the Keystone XL, which would put hundreds of more communities at risk.  Spills should be a tragic exception – not a way of life.
Together, we've been hammering that message home to the people in Washington.  It looks like they are finally paying attention.
Relying on a few inspectors and Big Oil to police themselves doesn't work.  The current pipeline safety bill is set to expire and we have a chance to strengthen and re-authorize it when Congress returns from recess.  We need new standards for pipelines carrying increasingly dirty and dangerous fuels like tar sands oil.  It's time to get serious about new safeguards.
Sincerely,
Mary Anne Hitt
Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign
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Footnote:
1) You can read more about the Murray Coal disaster here
2) Sierra Club tar sands information here
 

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