Attorney General Greg Stumbo Announces Pollution Monitoring At Fishtrap Lake

FRANKFORT, KY (March 27, 2006) – Attorney General Greg Stumbo announced today that his office will continue to monitor pollution at Fishtrap Lake Reservoir in Pike County, Kentucky. Stumbo is closely examining the proposed release of Virginia mine water to ensure that it does not contaminate Kentucky’s water supply.

Stumbo’s Civil and Environmental Law Division received information through a federal Freedom of Information Act request and has contacted officials from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to evaluate CONSOL Energy’s request for a water discharge permit. If issued, the permit would result in more than a billion gallons of mine water being released into Kentucky’s waterways. The division will be studying the request to assess the impact the mine water will have on Eastern Kentucky’s rivers and streams.

Stumbo will be filing written objections to the issuance of the permit, and will oppose the discharge at public hearings to be held in Grundy, Virginia.

“The best thing we can leave our children is a clean place to live,” Attorney General Stumbo said. “If Kentucky rivers and streams are negatively impacted, we will immediately go to federal court to stop the potential contamination of Kentucky drinking water supplies.”