(WSIL) -- Sierra Club Illinois and Prairie Rivers Network announced they are appealing the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's decision to grant a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to Williamson Energy LLC, the owner of the Pond Creek coal mine.
The permit allows the Pond Creek mine to dump its discharge waters into the Big Muddy River.
鷡շ:Concerns of future pollution in Big Muddy River after mine receives permit from IL EPA
The groups claim the permit does not remedy what they call major flaws in the 2019 draft permit. They say it doesn't protect the environment and doesn't adhere to Illinois or federal law.
In the appeal, Sierra Club Illinois and Prairie Rivers Network ask the Illinois Pollution Control Board to order the IEPA to reconsider the permit in order to establish conditions necessary to protect the Big Muddy River and other Illinois waters.
“Despite making some improvements to the original draft permit, the NPDES permit issued by the IEPA still falls short of the critical protection we need for the Big Muddy River and its tributaries,� says Amanda Pankau, Energy Campaign Coordinator with Prairie Rivers Network. “The contaminants allowed in this permit are harmful to aquatic life, and overall the permit fails to adequately mitigate the impacts this dirty mine water will have on local waters, wildlife, and communities. The IEPA must at the very least strengthen the permit’s conditions.”�
“Coal mining is a dirty, dangerous, and increasingly outdated practice. For a century, Illinois has sacrificed water quality, farmland, and communities to allow coal mining, but it's time to turn to a better future,� says Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin. “We’re acting today to protect these communities now and for future generations. Illinois is now leading the way to a clean energy future, and it's time to hold polluting coal mines accountable for what they have done to our communities and say enough is enough.�
In April, News 3 spoke with Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens who said the permit changed requirements for the mine, mandating they test the water for household chemicals like alkaline and acid mine drainage 3 times a week.
He said while the testing requirement eased his mind some, he was still concerned about the pollution.
"Anytime that somebody wants to dump waste water in a river that flows through your community I think any mayor in my position would've taken a skeptical look at that," Stephens said.
