Read the full article by Lauren Cross (The Southern Illinoisan)
“The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is suing the Sugar Camp Coal Mine near Benton following reports the mine dumped 46,000 gallons of hazardous fire-fighting foam in an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish a fire that had been burning underground last year.
The foam included at least 660 gallons of concentrated PFAS-based foam deep into the underground mine.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s lawsuit was filed in Franklin County Circuit Court and includes allegations of water pollution, creating a water pollution hazard, and discharges in violation of the limitations of the company’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
Raoul’s lawsuit alleges the pollution is the result of Sugar Camp using firefighting foam containing PFAS in an attempt to extinguish an underground fire that erupted at its mine facility in August.
‘Sugar Camp jeopardized public safety and irresponsibly violated both state environmental statutes and the constraints of its permit by misusing dangerous ‘forever chemicals’,’ Raoul said in a news release. ‘Exposure to such chemicals can cause long-lasting damage to the environment and poses a serious risk to public health. My office will work to ensure that Sugar Camp is held accountable for the damage it has done by using these chemicals.'”…