On Tuesday night, PBS will be showing The Creek Runs Red, a documentary film about a mining town in Oklahoma that is the number one toxic site in the nation. It's part of the Independent Lens series, and there will be several other broadcasts over the next couple of weeks. The film is also available on DVD.
Take action to protect the Clean Water Act and prevent such disasters in the future. More after the jump…
As the clip above demonstrates, the whole area around the town is now deadly, the land is a wasteland, raped by the mining companies, who left after making all the money they could. The EPA put it on the Superfund list — at the very top of some very nasty sites. The Native Americans who own the land, being forced from their original home, are once again screwed.
What a tragic story, made even more so by the fact that our country still has not learned any lessons from such situations.
Over the past 30 days, a series of diaries on Daily Kos by Devilstower have highlighted some of the continuing issues with mining abuses — specifically mountaintop removal in Appalachia — and advocating for passage of the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 2169).
A website about the mountaintop removal issue gives more info and action items. The main thing right now, as Devilstower points out, is to get the House committee assigned the Clean Water Protection Act to move on it.
In the meantime, Representatives need to be adding their names as co-sponsors of H.R. 2169. Considering the seriousness of what happened in Picher, you might think Oklahoma's Congresspeople would eager to get their names on the bill, in bold letters, in red, and underlined. But you would be wrong. Not a single one is listed among the current sponsors. Shameful.