By Darrell Ehrlick, Daily Montanan
Four groups say Montana DEQ hasn’t protected precious groundwater, given coal mine a free pass
Four environmental groups have begun a process to challenge the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s oversight of Signal Peak coal mining’s operations in the Bull Mountains, saying the state department has intentionally failed to protect water there, harming ranchers and the environment.
Signal Peak has been the subject of many news stories, including top company leaders being charged with felonies. But the latest complaint alleges that Signal Peak Energy continues to damage groundwater and springs, fails to fix the problem, and that the state’s top watchdog, the Department of Environmental Quality, has turned a blind eye to the problem for years.
Now, the environmental groups are asking federal officials, including the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement as well as the Department of the Interior, to force the Montana DEQ to take action against Signal Peak, which has been cited more than 100 times for issues with its mine in the past decade.
