According to a report made by Tree Hugger on Jan. 15, 2013, in Bayou Corne, La., a sinkhole developed environmental issues due to a coal mine disaster that had caused a sinkhole to open up from a production area underground.
Environmental disasters are on the rise, most of which are caused by humans others occur naturally. Some even tend to be a mystery the the public. Though, some of these environmental concerns don't make the headlines of well known publications, they do exist. Some might not think it to make it a priority with popular newspapers like the New York Times.
This situation has caused an evacuation of 300 local area residents and had been away from their homes for a period of four months. At this time, they still don't know when they'll be returning to their homes.
They blame the corporate entity, Texas Brine, of this disaster. Apparently their existing mining network had collapsed and had been accumulating a mixture of underground brines, water, and natrual gas. Texas Brine denies the accusations. Though clean ups have started, the local rivers had already been contaminated.
Another well known coal mining disaster that has occured is in Centralia, Pa., where over 50 years ago a fire started by what some thought to be a mere trash burning project, ignited a coal mine vein that continues to burn this day.
At this point the town is almost completely abandoned with the exception of 20 residents who still remain. That came to an end in July 2012 in an eminent domain court decision ordered the remaining townsfolk to leave as well.
The town still continues to burn, releasing toxins into the air giving to hazardous air quality conditions typical of burning coal such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury, toxic metals, and even traces of radioactivity.
Signs are posted around the town of Centralia to warn people of this toxic hazard and it appears that Bayou Corne is following the same fate.
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