An inconvenient source of pollution

It seems that Al Gore has done his share of pollution. From The Tennessean:

Tenn. mine enriched Gore, scarred land
No major pollution violations, but threat remains

Al Gore has profited from zinc mining that has released millions of pounds of potentially toxic substances near his farmstead, but there is no evidence the mine has caused serious damage to the environment in the area or threatened the health of his neighbors.

Two massive white mountains of leftover rock waste are evidence of three decades of mining that earned Gore more than $500,000 in royalty payments for the mineral rights to his property.

New owners plan to start mining again later this year, after nearly four years of inactivity. In addition to bringing 250 much-needed jobs to rural Middle Tennessee, mine owners will resume paying royalties to some residents who, like Gore, own land adjacent to the mine and lease access to the zinc under their property.

Gore has yet to be approached by the new owner, Strategic Resource Acquisition, said his spokeswoman Kalee Kreider, and he and wife, Tipper, have not decided whether they will renew their lease. It was terminated when the mine closed in 2003.

The mine is re-opening and some locals are having some questions:

But now that the mine is reopening and Gore�s status as an environmentalist has grown, some of Gore�s neighbors see a conflict between the mining and his moral call for environmental activism.

�Mining is not exactly synonymous with being green, is it?� said John Mullins, who lives in nearby Cookeville. A conservative, Mullins welcomes the resumption of mining for the benefits it will bring the community. But he says Gore�s view that global warming is a certainty is arrogant and that by being connected to mining, Gore is not �walking the walk.�

Lots more at the article -- some good investigative reporting...