(WSIL) --聽Sierra Club Illinois and the Prairie Rivers Network聽announced that they filed a Notice of Intent to sue Sugar Camp Energy LLC and American Consolidated Natural Resources for violations of the Clean Water Act, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
This announcement comes on the heels of a聽聽that operators at the Sugar Camp Mine dumped 46,000 gallons of fire fighting foam, including at least 660 gallons of concentrated PFAS-based foam deep into the underground mine in an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish a fire that has been burning underground for the past two months.
Sierra Club Illinois and the Prairie Rivers Network鈥檚 notice states that samples collected by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency from nearby surface water locations found concentrations of PFAS higher than EPA health advisory levels, Illinois drinking water health advisory levels, and Illinois draft groundwater standards.
Sugar Camp鈥檚 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit does not authorize any discharges into the nearby watersheds, nor does it allow for the discharge of PFAS or other toxic substances found to be present in the nearby watersheds.
鈥淭he use of firefighting foam containing toxic PFAS chemicals at Sugar Camp Mine poses a threat to the public health of the nearby community and the surrounding environment, and Sugar Camp Energy must be held accountable,鈥� says Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin. 鈥淪ugar Camp Energy鈥檚 violations of the Clean Water Act, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act are just the latest reminder that Illinois must move beyond coal and transition to a safer, renewable energy future. That future starts with holding coal companies accountable for their actions and protecting communities from further harm.鈥�
鈥淭he irresponsible discharge of highly toxic chemicals into the ground and surrounding waterways is a great concern to myself and anyone with private water supplies in the area. Extensive, long-term testing must be made available to landowners,鈥� says聽Tabitha Tripp, an Illinois landowner and environmental advocate. 鈥淔oresight must be held accountable for poisoning water supplies - this is not a burden that should fall on the landowners of Illinois. Sadly, once a water source is contaminated with a forever chemical like PFAS, the expense to purify water is simply not affordable. Mining coal is not worth the damage it鈥檚 doing to us and the land and to our health. 鈥�
鈥淭he substances being discharged by the Mine into nearby surface waters present a great environmental and health concern because of their potential to persist forever in the environment,鈥� says Sarah Rubenstein, staff attorney with Great Rivers Environmental Law Center. Great Rivers has significant experience bringing Clean Water Act citizen suits, and is providing legal representation to Sierra Club and Prairie Rivers in this matter to address the dangerous situation at the Mine and the surrounding environment.
