Comment & Debate
Testimony of John Pomponio, Director, Environmental Assessment and Innovation Division – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region. June 25th, 2009: “Concentrations of selenium, a heavy metal naturally found in rock, can also be elevated in streams draining valley fills. Often these concentrations result in exceedances of State and Federal water quality standards for aquatic life. Deformities in fish have been observed in reservoirs downstream of coal mining operations where selenium is a known pollutant. In peer reviewed scientific studies, high concentrations of selenium in fish tissue have been linked to physical deformities and reproductive failure.”