Just in case mountaintop removal / valley fill coal mining wasnt destructive enough to our homes, communities, forests and streams, our state and federal government came up with a plan

In February, the Charleston Gazette reported that state inspectors issued an imminent danger closure order for parts of Magnum Coals Samples Mine on Kayford Mountain when they found toxic residue associated with blasting. The mine had been using old munitions as part of a U.S. Army plan to "dispose" of the explosive compound tetryl.

"The plan came to light only after an employee of the mines blasting contractor, Nelson Brothers, was injured in a detonation accident on Feb. 10," Gazette reporter Ken Ward Jr. wrote.

The WV Department of Environmental Protection knew about the armys plan and the deal included at least three strip mines, though the public was not permitted to know which mines after the secret deal became public knowledge.

Dave Vande Linde, acting director of the DEP Office of Explosives and Blasting, told the Gazette that mine operators were using the tetryl in place of or in combination with the ammonium nitrate and fuel oil explosives they typically use to loosen mine overburden.

"We perceived this to be the way this would be disposed of, but we didnt know for sure," Vande Linde said. "That may change now."

In March, news reports said the mine operator and blasting contractor face more than $100,000 apiece in fines because they failed to report the blasting accident to the state within 15 minutes, as mandated under a post-Sago mining safety law.

Other alleged violations include allowing unregistered contractors to work on mine property, improperly transporting explosives, and exposing employees to the explosive tetryl, which can cause eye irritation and respiratory problems, among other things.

News reports quoted state officials saying that once the public learned about the use of toxic tetryl at MTR sites, that its use was prohibited. Makes you wonder what else is happening to folks living downwind of mountaintop removal blasting.

In April, news outlets reported that the Army was moving the tetryl to Oklahoma for "disposal." Wonder what wonderful "secret plan" is in store for the Sooner State?