CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is planning a new, more detailed investigation of fears that coal slurry is tainting groundwater in a Boone County town.

The probe is in response to a New York Times article that questioned enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act by U.S. states, DEP Secretary Randy Huffman said Monday. The article focused on health problems that residents of Prenter blame on water polluted by coal slurry injected underground by mine operators. It also found that water pollution laws have been violated more than 500,000 times across the country during the past five years -- often without punishment for violators.

Gov. Joe Manchin defended the state's efforts to enforce water pollution laws. "We're trying awfully hard," he said.

Huffman noted that West Virginia was listed as having the 10th highest rate among U.S. states of taking action for water pollution in a chart accompanying the Times article.

"If you're going to use a poster child in your article, I don't think you pick a top-10 state."

While the DEP hasn't been able to link mining or slurry injection to polluted water, Huffman said he is ordering a more detailed study. Huffman also hopes the study reassures DEP employees that the agency isn't trying to protect coal production, the state's marquee industry.

The secretary noted that some employees feared he was going to fire a biologist who criticized his congressional testimony on surface coal mining and water quality.

"It bothers me that there was an expectation that 'Randy is Attila the Hun' here and is going to come down on him," Huffman said.

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