Take Action to Keep Excess Selenium Out of TN Streams

If you live in Tennessee or have enjoyed Tennessee's resources as a visitor, we need your help to kill HB 1204 and SB 1331!

Action Alert from Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM)

A very dangerous bill to change standards for selenium in Tennessee's waters was introduced this session in both the Tennessee House and Senate. HB 1204 and SB 1331 relate directly to mountaintop removal mining, a practice that often results in toxic levels of selenium in water runoff.

This is an attempt by the mining industry (they helped write the bill!) to deregulate toxic levels of selenium, such as those discovered last year at the Zeb Mountain mountaintop removal site in Campbell County. Citizen complaints and a lawsuit by the Sierra Club, SOCM and the Tennessee Clean Water Network have focused on toxic levels of selenium runoff at that site.

The selenium criteria proposed in these bills are deeply flawed, and have not been validated or adopted by the EPA. If adopted in Tennessee, they will not protect the state's aquatic life. Selenium pollution is not just a concern of coal mining but is also a problem with fly ash storage and disposal.

Toxic effects of selenium for aquatic life and those species that depend on aquatic life as food sources include gill damage, liver, kidney and heart damage. Excessive selenium exposure also affects development and reproductive functions of these species, and is known to cause spine, gill and eye deformities, ovary damage and complete reproductive failure.

In large amounts, selenium is toxic to humans.

Here is some contact information for the TN Senate and House committee members hearing this bill next Tuesday, April 7th. Please let them know that you oppose this bill:

Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee

Senator Steve Southerland, Chair sen.steve.southerland@capitol.tn.gov

Senator Ken Yager, Vice-Chair sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov

House Conservation and Environment Committee

Rep. Joe McCord, Chair rep.joe.mccord@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Mike McDonald, Member rep.michael.mcdonald@capitol.tn.gov

 

Links to the bill, current EPA and TN selenium standards, and scientific articles on selenium criteria and pollution.

HB 1204 / SB 1331

EPA Draft Selenium Criteria cited in the TN bill

Technical review of EPA's draft selenium criteria

Tennessee's current Water Quality Criteria

Aquatic Selenium Pollution Is a Global Environmental Safety Issue, A.D. Lemly

Comments

[Robert]

Cathie and all others involved, Thank you for your excellent work in pursuing justice, balance and love in action where it comes to coal mining, especially mountaintop removal. Our thoughts, prayers and support are with you. And thanks for your excellent reports and descriptions on Earthbytes. Robert