Government hit with backlash over undisclosed actions that could put public safety at risk: 'The authorities aren't doing their job properly'

A decision by the Welsh government to reclassify several piles of old coal-mining waste as high risk — and, more specifically, its decision to do so without broadly notifying the public, according to some residents — has left many angry.

What's happening?

Late in 2024, a landslide in Wales that resulted in dozens of home evacuations was caused by the destabilization of a coal tip — a pile of waste left over from past coal mining.

The event prompted the BBC to file a Freedom of Information request. It revealed that, since November 2022, the Welsh government had reclassified 11 coal tips across the country to the highest risk categories. 

Those highest risk categories — C and D — are for tips that "have the potential to impact public safety" and need frequent inspection. This most recent landslide in Cwmtillery, Blaenau Gwent, was confirmed in December reporting from the BBC to have involved a Category D tip. Residents said this slide reminded them of the 1966 Aberfan disaster, per The Guardian.

Almost 60 years ago, a coal tip collapsed above the small town of Aberfan, causing a massive landslide into the village below that wiped out homes, schools, and other buildings. It killed 144 people, including 116 children.

Some Cwmtillery area locals have said they thought information about the reclassifications "had not been adequately shared," according to the BBC. 

"I walk in that area several times a week, and if we, the public, don't know the information, it makes me think — the authorities aren't doing their job properly," resident Ena Lloyd told the outlet in January.

Why is it important to address old coal tips?

Also concerning to locals is the role a warming climate likely played in the collapse of coal tips. 

Both the Aberfan disaster and the Cwmtillery landslide were reportedly triggered by heavy rains. As heat-trapping pollution continues to warm the planet and fuel extreme weather, storms near the tips are likely to become more frequent and more severe. 

Large quantities of rainfall can cause the tips and their surrounds to erode and destabilize. Resulting landslides have the potential to cause deaths, injuries, and significant property damage.

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They can also pollute the soil and water. And coal mining itself already poses many environmental problems, as coal is one of the planet's main sources of dirty energy.

What's being done about this?

The Welsh government said in March it is committing roughly £34 million — or about $45 million — to secure 130 coal tips. The United Kingdom had already invested another £25 million — or about $33 million — in the effort, according to a BBC report, in which multiple locals indicated they were still fearful of what they perceived as an ongoing threat.

Category D coal tips are inspected at least twice a year. The Welsh government also asks residents to alert them to any coal tip pollution or potentially related health concerns. 

Of course, many of the residents want the government to promptly inform them of the same.

A lawyer with the United States-based Earthjustice called for similar transparency in early 2024 with regards to coal ash contamination: "The public should be alerted to whether a facility in their community is out of compliance and whether [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] is going to do anything about it, or the state."

In that matter, the EPA ultimately addressed a loophole in regulations of the toxic waste after conducting facility assessments, demonstrating the potential for inspections to catch not only pollution but also costly policy shortcomings. However, in March the EPA indicated that it would be handing states a bigger role in coal-ash management amid a federal push to revive the coal industry.

"It is concerning to see a number of tips being reclassified to appear worse," geologist Rhian Meara told the BBC back in January. "But on the other hand, as they move into these higher categories, they are being monitored more closely, tracked, and prioritized."

If what gets measured gets managed, hopefully we'll see greatly improved safety and maybe even some innovative solutions to coal tips too.

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