EARTHWORKS

Protecting Air

Among Earthworks priorities for protecting clean air:

The ore roaster at Newmont's Gold Quarry mine in Nevada is a large source of
mercury air pollution from gold mining.

Mercury pollution from gold mining

Thanks to the expansion of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory to cover metal mining in the late 1990s, America became aware that gold mining and processing is one the United States’ largest mercury air polluters.

We work at the state and federal levels to reduce this threat.

Toxics from gas drilling and production

For too long hidden by the threat it poses to clean water, natural gas drilling and processing pollutes the air as well.

Although there are numerous individual examples of families hurt by this pollution, we have worked with entire communities – like DISH, TX – to publicize the problem and push regulators into taking action.

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For more information:

Mercury

• Mercury pollution from gold mining (Earthworks)
• Toxics Release Inventory - ranking by mercury releases (Environmental Protection Agency)

Gas drilling and production

• Oil and gas air pollution (Earthworks)
• Community health survey shows shale gas threatens human health (Earthworks, Town of DISH)
• Flowback: How the Texas natural gas boom affects health and safety (Earthworks)