Inspectors later determined the company had pumped more than 46,000 gallons of PFAS-laden foam into the mine, raising the possibility that nearby private wells and other sources of drinking water could be contaminated.
Both the fire and Foresight’s responses to it remained secret until a local environmental activist took pictures of foam that had drifted to aboveground ditches and farm fields near the mine entrance. The activist forwarded the photos to state officials and to the Tribune, which sought more details under the Freedom of Information Act.
Foresight, one of the last coal companies operating in Illinois, declared bankruptcy in 2020. Yet the company produced more than half the 32 million tons of coal mined in the state during the same year.
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Source: chicagotribune - 🏆 8. / 91 Read more »