MEC&F Expert Engineers : 09/09/15

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

A construction worker was killed when 1,300-pound stacks of hay fell and crushed him at North Side Farms in Tonopah, Arizona





Photo Source: Skyfox HD

Jamie Sheldon, The Republic | azcentral.com


September 9, 2015


A man was killed after a 1,300-pound stack of hay bales fell over and crushed him near Tonopah on Wednesday
west of Phoenix, AZ.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says witnesses saw four men removing a tarp-like cover from a large stack of hay bales at North Side Farms, near Harquahala Valley and Courthouse Roads
in Tonopah, Arizona.
 
While the men were removing the tarp, the front stacks of bales (eight bales high) fell over and crushed one of the men.  Another worker suffered minor injuries while trying to get out of the way of the falling bales.
 

Fire engine destroys Weirton, West Virginia firehouse








Fire engine takes down West Virginia firehouse


Sep 7, 2015

WEIRTON, WEST VIRGINIA

UPDATE

Two different TV stations are giving different descriptions of what caused the collapse Sunday. Here is the one from WTRF-TV that says the rig was pulling out when this occurred:


According to officials the collapse at Station 3 on Pennsylvania Avenue occurred, in part, due to previous damage.

A truck, without it’s ladder up, was being moved forward to do some routine maintenance. The high side compartment door was open when the firefighter went to pull the truck out. It hit the middle support beam between the two garage doors, which is completely non-weight bearing.

EARLIER

WTOV-TV:


A partial collapse at the city of Weirton Fire Department took many by surprise, and made quite the mess in the process.

Three were on scene when a fire truck backed into the middle wall of the building, bringing down the façade, and parts of the roof. Chief Jerry Shumate was home when the accident occurred around 7 p.m. Sunday. “Just had to come up and see what the damage was. The first thing I asked was anyone hurt. Nobody hurt, and then we go from there,” Shumate said.

One fire truck suffered body damage when the façade collapsed on to it. The two main trucks are undamaged, and will be kept outside of the building while the debris is cleaned up.


Demo of Weirton Fire Department firehouse underway @WTRF7News pic.twitter.com/vPTaquLdKm

— Sara Yingling (@SYinglingWTRF) September 7, 2015


Here’s video of the demolition of the Weirton Fire Department sent in by a viewer @WTRF7News pic.twitter.com/zCIrZ16unK — Sara Yingling (@SYinglingWTRF) September 7, 2015

Napa County fire engine rolled 100 feet down an embankment, destroying the engine and sending two volunteer firefighters to the hospital.


Napa County fire engine wrecked in crash


A photo of the damaged fire engine provided by the Napa County Fire Department.


BY KEVIN MCCALLUM

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
September 6, 2015, 3:27PM
Updated 2 hours ago.

A Napa County fire engine rolled down an embankment on a winding rural road Saturday morning, destroying the engine and sending two volunteer firefighters to the hospital.

The accident occurred on Wooden Valley Road east of Napa around 11:30 a.m. after the two volunteers had been sent to a motorcycle accident in the area, said Capt. Joe Fletcher of the Napa County Fire Department.

The firefighters had been called back from the incident, possibly because rescuers from another agency arrived at the scene first, Fletcher said.

On the way back to the station, Engine 22 left the roadway and crashed about 100 feet down a steep embankment, Fletcher said.

“That engine is destroyed,” Fletcher said. “It rolled down the hill and bounced off some ancient trees. It’s mangled.”

The two volunteer firefighters were treated at the scene for minor injuries and transported to a local hospital for evaluation, Fletcher said. Both were wearing their seat belts, according to an email from another CalFire official.

Fletcher declined to identify either volunteer firefighter, one of whom was presumably the driver of the engine, citing federal and state patient privacy laws.

He said the Napa County Fire Department has both paid and volunteer firefighters, and it is common for the fully trained volunteers to be first to arrive at emergency scenes.

CHP Officer Vincent Pompliano said the engine’s right wheels left the road, the brakes locked and the engine crossed the roadway before plunging down the embankment.

He said he could not offer an explanation for why the engine’s wheels left the roadway. The two-lane road is of standard width, with 12-foot-wide lanes and 2-foot shoulders, he said.

Pompliano said he was not authorized to release the names of the driver and passenger because his superior officers had instructed him not to release the information.

A Hummer H2 driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in northwest Riverside following a three-vehicle crash that left 4 people injured


RIVERSIDE: Hummer driver arrested in crash with ambulance


Firefighters cut an AMR crew from their ambulance after an accident with two other vehicles.




BY SUZANNE HURT / STAFF WRITER
Published: Sept. 7, 2015


A Hummer driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in northwest Riverside following a three-vehicle crash that trapped an ambulance crew in their vehicle on the way to an emergency call early Monday morning.

Battalion 2 firefighters cut a door off the ambulance to free its crew after a Hummer H2 driving east on Arlington Avenue hit a white Toyota Corolla sedan shortly before 2:15 a.m. and one of the vehicles hit an AMR ambulance driving south on Van Buren Boulevard with sirens and lights on, said Riverside police Lt. Gary Leach.

No patient was in the ambulance, said Riverside Fire Department Battalion 2 Chief Jeff DeLaurie.

The extent of injuries was unclear. A Riverside Fire Department news release reported four people were injured, one critically. Two ambulance crew members had minor injuries, DeLaurie said. Two people with minor injuries were taken to a hospital. The Hummer driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, said Leach, who had no other information on the driver.

Massive fire destroyed the Full Throttle Saloon east of Sturgis, South Dakota





photo by Gary Matthews

The Full Throttle Saloon, a popular rally establishment, was destroyed by an early morning fire Tuesday.








Posted: Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Gary Matthews


STURGIS, S.D. - 


Fire crews have spent a good portion of Tuesday mopping up from a massive fire that destroyed the Full Throttle Saloon east of Sturgis.

All that remains is smoldering rubble of the building that became engulfed in flames just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Crews from the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department were among the first to respond and find smoke coming from the roof of the structure. A passer-by reportedly informed the clerk at the Kickstart Convenience Store across the highway of smoke coming from the building.

Sturgis Assistant Fire Chief Shawn Barrows says crews tried to get inside but heat and smoke forced firefighters to battle the blaze from the outside in heavy winds. Crews worked diligently to keep the fire from spreading to nearby structures – including the convenience store across the highway. The building was completely on the ground by 3 a.m.

Barrows says there were no injuries. That includes the bar’s mascot – a donkey named Emmitt, who was rescued from the blaze.

Fire crews called in tenders from Piedmont, Vale, Newell, Whitewood and Fort Meade because of the lack of water on site.

Flames were intense at the height of the fire, forcing fire crews to temporarily close Highway 34 in front of the burning structure.

The bar, owned by Michael Ballard, featured such amenities as zip lines, musical stages and rental cabins. It was the subject of a television reality series, although there have been no new episodes since 2013.

It’s not known if Ballard will rebuild, and if so, if it will be in the same location. His Full Throttle Saloon has been in its present location since 1999.

Ballard has also started a liquor business he’s been working to make famous. A distillery on the property was destroyed by the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Temporary restraining orders issued to preserve evidence in the death of a bulldozer operator at Total SA's Port Arthur, Texas, refinery


Texas judge issues restraining orders in Port Arthur refinery death 


SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
HOUSTON, TEXAS




A Texas district judge issued temporary restraining orders on Tuesday to preserve evidence in the death of a bulldozer operator at Total SA's Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on Saturday, according to court documents.

Thomas Counts, a Kinder Morgan Inc employee, drowned when the bulldozer he was operating in a coker pit at the Total refinery overturned in scalding water early on Saturday, according to law enforcement officials.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department had previously identified the victim as Thomas Courts. A Sheriff's Department official did not reply to a request to explain the difference in names.

The restraining orders require Total, Kinder Morgan, which operates a petroleum coke terminal in Port Arthur, and the refinery's manager to preserve the scene of and all records relating to the accident until a hearing in the Jefferson County District Court.

"We will not comment on pending litigation," said Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Sara Hughes in an emailed statement.

Wanda Counts was identified in the documents as the representative of Thomas Counts' estate but her relationship to him was not explained.

Wanda Counts' attorney was not immediately available to discuss the temporary restraining orders. A Total representative was also unavailable. 



///------------------------///







 Kinder Morgan's Bulk Coke Facility in Port Arthur, Texas


Coke
Coke Unit
Coke Unit


Coke

 

Worker killed in bulldozer accident at Total Refinery in Port Arthur

Updated: Saturday, September 5 2015, 10:53 PM CDT

PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS


A contract worker has died in an industrial accident involving a bulldozer at the Total Refinery in Port Arthur.  The accident happened near a deep conversion unit, known as a coker, that improves the processing of heavy crudes, converting them into lighter products and coke, a solid residue resembling coal.


Total Facility is located  in the 7400 Block of 32nd Street in Port Arthur, Texas.

Justice of the Peace Marc DeRouen tells Fox 4 News he was called to the plant at about 3 a.m.


The accident happened at about 12:40 a.m. Saturday. DeRouen pronounced the worker dead at the scene.

He says the man worked for Kinder Morgan.


The name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

JP DeRouen tells Fox 4 News the man was working on a bulldozer near the coker unit when the bulldozer somehow ended up in a pit filled with a chemical liquid. 


A deep conversion unit, known as a coker, that improves the processing of heavy crudes, converting them into lighter products and coke, a solid residue resembling coal. - See more at: http://www.total.com/en/energies-expertise/oil-gas/refining-petrochemicals/projects-achievements/upgrading-port-arthur-refinery-united-states#sthash.ufGm9HLo.dpuf
A deep conversion unit, known as a coker, that improves the processing of heavy crudes, converting them into lighter products and coke, a solid residue resembling coal. - See more at: http://www.total.com/en/energies-expertise/oil-gas/refining-petrochemicals/projects-achievements/upgrading-port-arthur-refinery-united-states#sthash.ufGm9HLo.dpuf










He says another worker saw the headlights from the bulldozer submerged in the liquid and used the arm of his heavy equipment to pull out the bulldozer, but the worker was dead.


DeRouen says the chemical liquid had been heated to 180-200 degrees. He's ordered an autopsy to determine if the man died from burns, drowning or another cause.


/////-------------------///


UPDATE 3-Total Port Arthur refinery cuts production after worker killed

HOUSTON, TEXAS


September 5, 2015 (Reuters) - 

Total SA cut production at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on Saturday after a contract worker was killed when the bulldozer he was driving in a pit beneath a giant refining unit flipped over in petroleum coke and coarse dust, said sources familiar with plant operations.

Total and the worker's employer, Kinder Morgan Inc, both confirmed the worker's death. Kinder Morgan operates a petroleum coke terminal in Port Arthur.

Total's Tricia Fuller said coker operations were at minimal rates and operators had stopped taking coke from the unit due to the death.

The sources said production at the 225,500 barrel per day (bpd) refinery's other units had been reduced.

"We will restart (the coker) once we know it can be operated safely," Fuller said.

The coker was not damaged in the incident, the sources said.

Investigators from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were expected to open an investigation Saturday, Fuller said.

Generally, U.S. refineries do not need permission from safety or environmental regulators to resume production following a fatality.

Bulldozers were being used to push coke and coarse sand-like coke dust from beneath the 60,000 bpd delayed coking unit because a crane, the owner of which was unknown on Saturday, that is usually used to remove coke from the pit had been shut for repairs for several months, the sources said.

Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Sara Hughes said she had no further information about the accident beyond confirmation of the worker's death.

"An investigation is being conducted," Hughes said.

Petroleum coke, which can be used as a coal substitute, is made from the gunky, black residual crude that remains after all refinable material has been obtained from it.

In a delayed coking unit, residual crude is injected into giant drums where it is heated until it hardens, a process that usually takes 24-48 hours.

The coke is knocked out of the drums by high pressure jets of scalding water and falls into the coke pit beneath.

Total is currently seeking a partner to purchase a 50-percent stake in the Port Arthur Refinery.

///-----------------------////


Total refinery issues statement after contract worker killed at plant in Port Arthur:       

"It is with great sadness that we report that at approximately 0037 a.m. on Saturday, a Kinder Morgan contractor suffered a fatal injury while working in the coker area at the Port Arthur Refinery.

Total Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc. and Kinder Morgan are working together in mutual employee support.

Total has great sympathy for the family and sends our condolences to his family, colleagues and friends.

We are unaware of any other injuries at this time. All appropriate authorities have been notified and the refinery is conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.

We will update you as more information becomes available."

===============

BELOW IS PRESS RELEASE FROM JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE at 6:03 p.m. Saturday:

News Release from Assistant Chief Deputy Rod Carroll
Subject: Industrial Fatality 
Date: September 5, 2015

On Saturday, September 05, 2015, at approximately 1:10 am the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 Call in reference to an industrial incident at the Total Facility in the 7400 Block of 32nd Street in Port Arthur, Texas.

Upon arrival deputies were directed to the Coke Pits at the facility, where they learned that a bulldozer occupied by one individual had entered the Coke Pits and become submerged.

The bulldozer was quickly removed by a co-worker that had witnessed the incident who called for assistance and utilized a track hoe to remove the bulldozer from the 200 degree byproduct waste water.

Once removed from the water, the co-workers administered CPR to the victim with the assistance of Acadian Ambulance Service medics.

The victim was pronounced deceased by Justice of the Peace Marc Derouen.

The identity of the victim is being with-held for 24 hours to allow family to be notified.

===============
Previous report:

PORT ARTHUR - A contract worker has died in an industrial accident involving a bulldozer at the Total Refinery in Port Arthur.

Justice of the Peace Marc DeRouen tells KFDM News he was called to the plant at about 3 a.m. He pronounced the worker dead at the scene. He says the man worked for Kinder Morgan. The name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

JP DeRouen tells KFDM the man was working on a bulldozer near the coker unit when the bulldozer somehow ended up in a pit filled with a chemical liquid. He says another worker saw the headlights from the bulldozer submerged in the liquid and used the arm of his heavy equipment to pull out the bulldozer, but the worker was dead.

DeRouen says the chemical liquid had been heated to 180-200 degrees.

He's ordered an autopsy to determine if the man died from burns, drowning or another cause. 





FAILED UNDERGROUND CABLES: Hundreds of Long Beach, California residents were without power for hours amid the brutally hot weather as another power outage hit the city.

Long Beach residents hit with another power outage amid heat wave

Hundreds of Long Beach residents were without power for hours amid the brutally hot weather as another power outage hit the city.
Hundreds of Long Beach, California residents were without power for hours amid the brutally hot weather as another power outage hit the city.

The outage was first reported around 6 p.m. Tuesday. At one time, more than 1,400 customers were in the dark.

Southern California Edison crews worked overnight to try and restore the power in the following areas: 34th St. to the North; Gale St. to the South; 27th St. to the East; and Adriatic Ave to the west.

The outage was caused by a failed underground cable. The lack of power is a big concern for area residents, as most of Southern California is experiencing brutally hot conditions this week.

The state's independent system operator, also known as California ISO, is asking for the public's help when it comes to energy conservation.

Southern California Edison is calling for Save Power Days for Wednesday and Thursday. Customers who enroll in the program can earn a bill credit while cutting back on their energy use during periods of high demand. On Wednesday, that time window is between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.


By 6:30 a.m., approximately 44 customers were without power near Santa Fe Avenue and Wardlow Road, and 98 customers without power near Colorado Place, said SoCal Edison.

Crews estimated that all power should be restored by sometime Wednesday morning.

Hiker killed after flood waters overtook a couple hiking, as parts of the Inland Empire were pelted with intense rain, thunderstorms and hail in California

Man swept away in flash flood while hiking in Forest Falls

Flood waters overtook a couple hiking, killing the man, as parts of the Inland Empire were pelted with intense rain, thunderstorms and hail.
Flood waters overtook a couple hiking near Mill Creek Crossing in Forest Falls Tuesday afternoon, San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Chris Prater said.

An off-duty sheriff's deputy heard the couple calling for help. He was able to save the young woman, but the man was swept away.

The body of the victim, a Rancho Cucamonga man in his 20s, was found shortly after 7 p.m., Prater said.

A powerful storm cell packed with heavy rain and hail moved through, creating a quick-moving river runoff that trapped the young couple.

Parts of the Inland Empire saw flash-flood warnings Tuesday as Riverside and San Bernardino counties were pelted with hail.

A flash-flood warning were in effect for Riverside and San Bernardino counties for most of the day.

A thunderstorm producing heavy rain between Hesperia and Apple Valley caused flash flooding and mudslides.

Residents were warned that excessive rainfall could cause flash flooding or mudslides, particularly within the Lake Fire burn area.

The Lake Fire, which erupted on June 17 in a remote area of the San Bernardino Mountains, burned over 30,000 acres.

A firefighters uses a hose and works to put out massive flames in the San Bernardino Forest.
A firefighters uses a hose and works to put out massive flames in the San Bernardino Forest. (Photo courtesy Brandy Nichole Photography)

The NWS said most flood-related deaths occur in automobiles and warned people not to attempt to cross water-covered bridges, dips or low-water crossings.

A dog attack kills a man and injures a woman in North Shore, California


65-year-old North Shore, CA dog attack victim ID'd
Rosalie Murphy, The Desert Sun 9:15 a.m. PDT September 9, 2015


A dog attack kills a man and injures a woman in North Shore Tuesday. Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun



(Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)


The victim of Tuesday's fatal dog attack in North Shore was identified as a 65-year-old resident.

Emilio Rios was pronounced dead at 6:32 a.m. in front of a home at 70-670 Sea Gull Drive, according to the Riverside County Coroner's office.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies found him at about 6:15 a.m. Shortly after, they heard a cry from a woman who was being attacked by dogs nearby.

The officers sounded lights and sirens, which scared the dogs away, and paramedics transported the victim to a local hospital, where she is being treated for major injuries.

Sheriff's deputies and officers from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services captured the dogs, which they believe were pit bulls. One was extremely aggressive, according to the sheriff's department, and had to be tranquilized.

The dogs are quarantined at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms.
The body of a man mauled to death by dogs in is investigated by Riverside County Sheriff's, Tuesday, September 8, 2015 in the community of North Shore. Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun

Animal control officers will try to find the dogs' owners, said John Welsh, a spokesman for the animal services department. He said they will likely recommend that the owners euthanize the dogs.

"This is as serious as it gets, when you've got somebody who's suffered a fatal attack," Welsh said.

In nine years working with animal services, Welsh said he could only recall three fatal dog attacks, including the 2009 killing of Rancho Mirage resident Hill Williams by his pets.


Two dogs were taken into custody after they killed a man and injured a woman in North Shore Tuesday. They were taken to the Riverside County animal campus in Thousand Palms. (Photo: Riverside County Department of Animal Services)

"A human being has lost their life to a dog," Welsh said. "If this is not a wake up call for some folks, what is? ... (Owners) have to be extra vigilant, because something like this can occur. It's a tragedy, and it's something that's totally preventable."

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Investigator Tijerina at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Thermal Station at 760-863-8990.

The Gold King mine spill pales in comparison to the broader problem of tens of thousands of mines leaking across the country.


EPA's spill pales in comparison to everyday mine leaks

Manuel Quiñones, E&E reporter Greenwire: Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Politicians, activists, tribes and media outlets have expressed shock at last month's abandoned mine spill in Colorado, which sent 3 million gallons of polluted water down the Animas River.

But environmental advocates and groups that have for decades been trying to clean up the legacy of unregulated mining say the incident pales in comparison to the broader problem of tens of thousands of mines leaking across the country.

"The Gold King [mine] was discharging pollutants before the spill and continues after the spill. That is a well-documented situation," said Ty Churchwell, backcountry coordinator in Colorado for the conservation group Trout Unlimited.

U.S. EPA and its contractor triggered the Gold King mine blowout while trying to study ways of cleaning up the site. A collapse had clogged a mine portal, and water was dangerously building up.

"Most draining mines just drain," Churchwell said in an interview. "Thousands and thousands of these draining mines all over the United States."

Map of abandoned mine sites by the group SkyTruth based on U.S. Geological Survey data.  Map courtesy of SkyTruth.

Though the true scope of the abandoned mine problem around the United States is unknown, groups such as mining watchdog Earthworks and the Western Governors' Association and agencies including EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey have some rough estimates.

The USGS database includes more than 260,000 sites labeled as past producers. Earthworks has the number closer to 500,000, mostly in the western United States.

The Government Accountability Office released a report on the issue in 2011, which said the public watchdog had developed a uniform definition of abandoned hardrock mines in 2008.

GAO said it had determined there were at least 161,000 abandoned hardrock mine sites in 12 Western states and Alaska. The agency said 33,000 of the sites had degraded the environment by contaminating waters or leaving "arsenic-contaminated" waste piles.

Churchwell said, "Whether it's 100,000 or 500,000, that's hundreds of thousands too many." And he said the Animas spill "has alerted the nation to the much more broad problem that many people were not paying attention to before."

Many environmental advocates and supportive Democrats on Capitol Hill have seemed hesitant to take aim at EPA, the agency trying to address the potential hazard.

Critics, including many congressional Republicans, have blasted the agency not only for the Colorado spill but also for not turning over enough related documents.

The Navajo Nation has also been particularly tough in its criticism of EPA. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich is scheduled to visit the reservation today to see the spill's effect on the San Juan River.

Many of Pennsylvania's waterways are orange, affected by acid mine drainage. Photo by Manuel Quinones.

"The impact has been devastating to our culture and economy, as well as to the peace of mind of our people," said Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch upon announcing that Hueston Hennigan LLP will represent the tribe in claims against EPA.

"With unknown amounts of this fine sediment in our water, we know we face the risk of reliving this nightmare with every major increased water flow event affecting the river," said Branch.

Alan Septoff, spokesman for Earthworks, likewise faulted the agency. "The EPA screwed up, there's no doubt about it. But why they screwed up is instructive."

Septoff also said the spill was inevitable even without the agency's mistake. "Because it was draining pollution into the Animas River already and threatened to do more, it was going to happen sooner or later. If they left it alone, same thing was going to happen."

Earthworks has long been lobbying for reform of the 1872 mining law, including charging mining companies a fee for cleaning up mines that were abandoned before modern environmental laws.

Gold King started operating in the late 1800s and ran through the early 1920s. EPA works on a polluter-pays principle, but like other such sites, Gold King has a complicated ownership and liability history.

At one point, Sunnyside Gold Corp., the owner of a nearby mine that shut down in 1991, agreed to plug its site and clean up operations in the area. But water started building up, and a treatment system ran into legal and financial troubles, EPA said. The agency was left holding the bag to prevent disaster.

Septoff said the spill has raised the alarm on the wider problem. "The Animas is shaking stuff lose, politically speaking," he said.

He added, "There's no dedicated funding source to clean up abandoned hardrock mines. There isn't even money to get a good handle of how bad the problem is."
Debate over solution

Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, has already introduced mining reform legislation (Greenwire, Feb. 12). Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has said he will, too, once Congress reconvenes.

The National Mining Association has opposed current mining reform legislation, saying it would add too much red tape and hurt resource independence. The group has called the cleanup fee a dirt tax.

NMA spokesman Luke Popovich recently expressed support for good Samaritan legislation, which would provide groups with liability protections for pitching in to clean up water pollution from old mines.

Late in 2012, EPA released a memo meant to appease concerns. It said groups don't need a permit for certain discharges connected with abandoned hardrock mine cleanups under the Superfund law. Former Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) was a main proponent.

But groups like Trout Unlimited and local regulators, who often help clean up contamination and hazards from abandoned mines, say the document was not enough to clear worries about getting involved with point source pollution.

"They're the only ones that can work within the current legal framework to address the problem," Churchwell said about the "underfunded and understaffed" EPA.

"We need to provide and find some mechanism to increase the capacity of those willing to join in the fight of cleaning up those abandoned mines," he said, noting that there have been at least two other wastewater releases into the Animas in recent decades.

Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) have expressed their intention of introducing good Samaritan cleanup legislation in the near future. Plans were underway even before the spill (E&E Daily, June 9). But details remain unclear.

Despite bipartisan support, such a bill is by no means guaranteed passage. Some Democrats are wary of reopening discussions surrounding the Clean Water Act and sapping support from broader reform.

"It doesn't address the funding issue," Septoff said. "That is the real problem. It may suck the political air out of efforts to really address the problem."

Arizona State University law professor Rhett Larson suggested in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that states create credits to encourage mining companies to clean up abandoned mines.

But groups like Earthworks have expressed opposition to companies getting liability protections. Septoff wonders what a private company would do if it had caused the Animas spill.

"There's a historic problem, and then there's the fact that we're not learning from this mistake," said Septoff. "That is the preferred solution to this."

Beyond abandoned mines, groups, tribes and communities petitioned the administration last month to initiate rulemaking to prevent future spills from mine sites (Greenwire, Aug. 25, 2015). They also called for reform after the Mount Polley mine tailings spill in Canada, which released more than 1 billion gallons of waste.

Popovich called the rulemaking petition "transparent opportunism on the part of mining's critics to distract policymakers away from adopting practical measures." He said, "U.S. mines don't need a poorer permit policy; they already have one of the most inefficient in all the world's mining regions."
Coal

Unlike hardrock mining, coal sites abandoned prior to modern environmental laws do have a dedicated funding stream. Currently producing companies pay a fee into the abandoned mined land (AML) reclamation fund.

The Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement said last year it had collected more than $10 billion in fees and distributed more than $7.8 billion. But the shortfall remains in the billions, and there is also no national inventory of sites.

Regulators in Pennsylvania, which has the highest number of AML sites, say mine waste has fouled more than 5,000 miles of the state's streams, many of which drain into the Chesapeake Bay (Greenwire, Aug. 31).

Nonprofit groups have also been deeply involved in helping clean up abandoned mine sites and acid mine drainage. They also want stronger good Samaritan protections, related to not only the Clean Water Act but also the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. But hardrock mining cleanup advocates sometimes say the issues are different and should be addressed separately (Greenwire, Dec. 18, 2012).

Congress this fall will be discussing issues related to AML, particularly the desire of states to reauthorize the fee past 2021. Some greens want to raise the fee to pre-2006 levels. But companies dealing with the coal slump warn they may not be around to pay it. 

Source: http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060024348

Man and young boy killed when fire rips through La Porte, Texas house







A young boy and an adult male both died after a fire ripped through a home in La Porte.






Updated 1 hr 1 min ago

LA PORTE, TX (KTRK) -- An adult male and a young boy are both dead and a young girl injured following a house fire in La Porte.

Firefighters told us flames broke out inside the home at 3831 Teakwood Drive around 3:30am this morning. Next door neighbor Brandi Barton recalled the frantic moments which followed to Eyewitness News.

Barton said she woke up to banging on her front door and her door bell ringing constantly. When she answered, Barton said a 11-year-old girl started screaming and told Barton two people, the girl's father and brother, were still trapped inside the structure.

PHOTOS: Three injured following fire in La Porte







Three people are in unknown condition following a house fire on Pecan Street at Teakwood Drive in La Porte. 


Barton said she'll never forget the look on the girl's face.

"Just pure fear, I never seen somebody ... I never seen somebody so scared in my life. She's 11. It's just horrible," said Barton. "We never saw the father. She just told us, he went back in for the brother. My husband went looking for him thinking maybe he grabbed him ... had smoke inhalation and he collapsed ... We never saw him out."

Barton said her husband called 911 as she called the girl's mother. Fortunately, the girl remembered her mother's cell phone number.

"I got on the phone with the mother and told her the house is on fire. Your daughter is here. Your husband and son are not. I haven't seen them yet. I could hear the fire department pulling down the street as I was talking to her. I let her know it was full blown house fire. She needed to leave work and call 911," said Barton. "She was screaming and crying. I mean what else can you do at that point but scream and cry and look for your baby ... because she was asking where the baby was. She knew the girl was okay. She was asking where the baby was."

Just before 7am, the city of La Porte sent out a news release. Firefighters confirm the young girl escaped the fire and called for help. First responders treated her at the scene and at a local hospital. She's expected to make a full recovery.

Authorities also said paramedics rescued a young boy from the fire who showed signs of smoke inhalation and potential burns. They took him to the hospital where he later died.

Crews also found a man dead inside the home. La Porte firefighters nor the fire marshal would not comment or speculate on the man's identity. He told us the medical examiner is on their way to the residence.

Stay with Eyewitness News for updates. We'll have a live report on the news at 11:00am. You can also follow reporter Steve Campion's Twitter and Facebook pages for updates from the field.