Adrienne Byers PBHL-A316; MW January 22, 2012 Bear Run Article Review In the article Bear Run coal

mine putting Hoosiers at risk? by Heather Gillers the soon to be largest coal mine in the eastern portion of the United States is examined. Bear Run coal mine is located in Indiana and is projected to produce up to 12 million tons of coal each year. This coal mine gives Indiana the opportunity to become a competitor and possibly a leader in the coal industry. Though this would be a huge step for Indiana, there is controversy on how well the Bear Run coal mine is regulated. Indiana poses the most lenient regulations on coal mines throughout the state. There is not one coal mine in Indiana that requires an individual permit, whereas most states require all coal mines over a certain size to have one. All coal mines in Indiana possess an IDEM permit, which has less harsh regulations than that of an individual permit. Also, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can guide over Indianas coal mine regulations with an individual permit enforcing even more harsh regulations on the state. The controversy over which permit Bear Run coal mine should have comes in because of the sheer size of the mine. Bear Run is projected to be the largest coal mine east of the Mississippi River. Large coal mines in other states are required to have an individual permit that puts strict regulations on pollution from the coal mine such as water waste. Because Indiana coal mines operate under an IDEM permit, they are not required to submit a waste water analysis. This means regulators cannot know for sure what quantities of certain pollutants are being emitted from Bear Run coal mine, an already highly polluted area.

Adrienne Byers PBHL-A316; MW January 22, 2012 The additional unknown quantities of unknown pollutants pose as threats to Indianas environment. This is an important issue because should too much of an unknown substance/toxin be released into Indianas environment, danger could be cause for the states wildlife as well as general public. Not only could this hazard be caused directly through the consumption of water containing waste materials, but also through the consumption of fish or animals that consumed or lived in this water waste. Furthermore, crops irrigated with this waste water could also be contaminated. This would affect Hoosiers as well as neighboring states to where crops are transported. Pollution from Bear Run coal mine should have to follow more stringent regulations. Pollution from such a large entity should not be taken lightly. Such threats from potential pollution would be seen locally, state-wide and nation-wide. Should a decision be made that Indiana must obtain an individual permit, I would wholly support this decision.