PHOTOS: Pollution from flooded coal export terminal in Louisiana

In addition tooil washing up on the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Isaac is exacerbating other fossil fuel industryimpacts to the environment and communities along the Gulf Coast. Thecoal export terminal owned by Kinder Morgan on the Mississippi Riverin Southern Louisiana was flooded by Hurricane Isaac’s torrential rains, which has left coal sludge and polluted water in the environment for miles around the facility.

The flooded out coal terminal is a complete environmental disaster. The flood waters at this facility are inundated with coal and the sand barriers that the company built in a futile attempt to contain those waters failed, drastically. To make matters worse, the company is pumping the coal mixed water out of the facility directly into the surrounding landscape, river, and wetlands. For miles in each direction away from the terminal, there is a thick dark coating of coal on everything, including the community of Ironton. Cows can be seen drinking coal runoff. Birds can be seen searching for food in coal filled ditches. Active pumps can be seen displacing the flood waters from the grounds of the facility and into the surrounding environment.