Thursday, January 26, 2012

Environmental Activity Creates Jobs Too

By: Duane Craig

Who says protecting the environment doesn't create any jobs? It does in West Virginia where Arch Coal Inc. will fork over $2 million that will hire "a lead land-use attorney, two supporting attorneys and an experienced land-use planner … along with a full-time office manager and an additional faculty member" for the West Virginia University College of Law, Land Use and Sustainability Clinic, according to this article in the Houston Chronicle.

Arch will also install equipment to treat and monitor selenium pollution it left behind as it took the tops off mountains to get coal. Involved are Arch's subsidiaries, Coal-Mac Inc. and Mingo Logan Coal Company, and five active and inactive or reclaimed sites. Arch will pay $200,000 to the federal government and $145,000 to cover plaintiffs' legal costs. That's money that has a direct impact on jobs, too.

Installing the treatment and monitoring systems adds even more jobs, and, if the company violates any more Clean Water Act rules it must pay $25,000 per incident. Earlier this year, Arch paid $5.8 million in fines and penalties related to its pollution legacy including iron, aluminum and manganese contamination released between 2003 and 2010. Some or much of that money will no doubt end up paying somebody for doing something.

1 comment:

drinking water filter said...

It's really a good thing to know that in spite of all alarming environmental issues nowadays, we can still find good news like this. I am aware of how illegal logging, mining, etc. can destroy our nature but realizing that there are still people who cares, I won't lose hope. Thanks for this post. Hope more people will be enlightened and help save mother nature.