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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Environment - "EPA to Scrutinize Permits for Mountaintop-Removal Mining"

The ILB has had many entries on mountaintop mining, including "Coal Industry Wins a Round on Mountaintop Mining" from Feb. 19th.

Today Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post has this story, that begins:

The Environmental Protection Agency put hundreds of mountaintop mining operations on notice that they would be the focus of closer scrutiny yesterday, saying it needs to review their impact on local streams and wetlands before they can move forward.

The announcement, which outraged mining interests and cheered environmentalists, challenged a Bush administration policy and blocked the effect of a federal court decision that had made it easier for mine operators to dispose of the rubble and sludge created when companies blow off the tops of mountains to get to the coal buried underneath.

Late last night, the EPA issued an unusual statement saying that the agency "is not halting, holding or placing a moratorium on any of the mining permit applications." But the statement indicated that the EPA would "take a close look" at applications that had been the focus of recent litigation.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson also sent letters to the Army Corps of Engineers objecting to proposed operations in West Virginia and Kentucky, saying the two projects pose a serious threat to "aquatic resources of national importance" and should be halted.

Here is a story from the NY Times. And James Bruggers has this story in the Louisville Courier Journal that begins:
The Obama administration has begun to put the brakes on the damaging practices of strip mining in the Appalachian Mountains, sharply criticizing proposed permits for two operations -- one of them in Kentucky -- and promising closer scrutiny of many more.

In taking the actions, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials expressed "serious concerns" yesterday about the need to reduce potential damage to water quality caused by mining in the mountains.

At issue are practices that blast the sides and tops off mountains to get at underground coal seams, and what's done with the waste rock left behind. Typically, mining companies construct "valley fills," which can bury the upper reaches of streams. They first must get permits to do so from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The EPA stopped short of using its authority to veto the permits, but environmental activists say the EPA action serves notice to the Corps that it will have to apply more rigorous standards.

In a statement, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said the agency "will use the best science and follow the letter of the law in ensuring we are protecting our environment."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 25, 2009 09:48 AM
Posted to Environment