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Thousands of snow geese have been killed by the toxic waters of the Berkeley Pit, a flooded former copper mine in Butte, Montana that is one of the most poisonous and acidic bodies of water in the United States.
Unusually warm weather led the flock--tens of thousands of geese--to migrate south from Canada to the American Southwest later than usual, and they ran into a snow storm in Montana. The only open water in the area on which they could land was that contained in the Berkeley Pit.
The geese landed in the pit, whose water is contaminated with arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron, and zinc, in late November. The heavy metal contamination has resulted in water so acidic that the organisms able to survive within the pit are the objects of scientific study.[1] Thousands of birds did not survive after touching down on the red-tinged toxic waste.
[...] Montana Resources, the mining company [who jointly manages the pit with the Atlantic Richfield Company], will face fines if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finds that its efforts to keep the birds away from the mine were not in compliance with regulatory standards.
[1] Abstract with link to full-text PDF.
In related news, Common Dreams reports Scott Pruitt is an Unacceptable Choice to Run EPA
"Scott Pruitt is the wrong choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA plays an absolutely vital role in enforcing long-standing policies that protect the health and safety of Americans, based on the best available science. Pruitt has a clear record of hostility to the EPA's mission, and he is a completely inappropriate choice to lead it", [said Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.]
USA Today reports Scott Pruitt, Trump's Pick to Head the EPA, has Sued the EPA
"Having Scott Pruitt in charge of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is like putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires", said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. "He is a climate science denier who, as Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma, regularly conspired with the fossil fuel industry to attack EPA regulations."
(Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 09 2016, @10:48PM
Somehow you overlooked this happen on Obama's watch.
I mean there's stupid, and then there's liberals.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday December 09 2016, @10:53PM
Indeed, those idiots don't realize that those bad things will stop happening once and for all, as soon as we get rid of the government trying to prevent them.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Soybean on Friday December 09 2016, @10:57PM
> Somehow you overlooked this happen on Obama's watch.
Mining operations at the pit ended in 1982.
You could try to blame the EPA for not forcing a clean-up under Obama.
But under the terms of the deal that saw the mine become a superfund site in 1983 that would require new legislation passed by congress. The same congress that the republicans have basically made non-functional for 6 years.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Reziac on Saturday December 10 2016, @06:45AM
And if the mine was still operational, it would have 24/7 bright lights and noise and activity that would keep the geese away, as well as being continually pumped out so it doesn't form an invitingly large lake in the first place (this isn't your everyday mining pit).
You want to blame someone? Blame the union that wanted an ever-larger slice of a pie that shrank rapidly when costs suddenly went up. I remember when the mine closed and overnight Butte hit as close to full unemployment as you can get without shuttering the town entirely.
Oh, and if you're using DSL in North America, that phone line was probably strung with copper from the Berkeley Pit.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @07:11AM
> You want to blame someone? Blame the union that wanted an ever-larger slice of a pie that shrank rapidly when costs suddenly went up.
No. I'm going to blame the mining company. You know, the people actually responsible for making the decisions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:22PM
Ah, another liberal trait- lack of responsibility. Much like the election, it's everyone elses' fault.
Legislation from congress has fuckall with the EPA ensuring compliance with regulations.
I mean that's some righteous gall to serve up doomsday scenarios of Trump's cabinet on the sly of even more proof liberals have no fucking clue how to govern