The controversial Dos Republicas coal mine has been given permission to expand. At a hearing in Austin on Wednesday, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality voted to renew and expand a wastewater permit that will allow the mine to grow its operations in Texas near the US-Mexico border.

The Sierra Club, along with Native American groups living near the mine, protested TCEQ’s decision, saying that it threatens the water quality of the Rio Grande River, the area’s only source of water.

The mine itself, while located in Texas, ships all of its coal to Mexico because the coal is too low-grade for use in the US. Several indigenous groups have also said that the mine threatens sacred ancestral grounds. Anyone interested in learning more about the Dos Republicas coal mine can attend the next meeting of the Sierra Club’s Environmental Justice Team on Monday, July 11th at 6:30pm at the Cepeda Branch Public Library. More info>>