Environmental Groups to Sue to Stop Shepherd Bend Mine
August 23rd, 2010On Thursday, August 19, the Alabama Surface Mining Commission hosted a public hearing on an application for a coal mine called the Shepherd Bend Mine along the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River northwest of Birmingham and southwest of Dora and Sumiton. The commission has 60 days from August 19 to rule on the permit.
If issued, this permit will authorize strip mining for coal on Shepherd Bend, right across the river from the Birmingham Water Works Board’s Mulberry Fork drinking water intake, would likely result in mining-related pollutants traveling directly to the intake and to Birmingham’s water treatment facilities, according the Black Warrior Riverkeeper non-profit, public advocacy group.
“Not only will this mine pose a threat to Birmingham’s drinking water supply, but it will also threaten water quality, wildlife habitat recreation, aesthetics, and the peaceful way of life residents aim to have along the river,” Riverkeeper Nelson Brooke said in a statement today.
The Black Warrior Riverkeeper and the Southern Environmental Law Center are challenging ADEM’s permit in court, according to the statement.




