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Saturday, September 12, 2009
Environment - More on "EPA to Scrutinize Permits for Mountaintop-Removal Mining"
Updating this ILB entry from March 25th, Tim Huber reports today in USA Today in a story that begins:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Obama administration on Friday stepped up efforts to curb environmental damage from surface coal mining, announcing plans to give 79 permit applications in four states additional scrutiny.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it wants to make certain the proposed mines won't cause water pollution and violate the Clean Water Act before permits are issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Most of the permits are for mines in Kentucky, the nation's No. 3 coal-producing state. Also on the list are operations in No. 2 coal producer West Virginia, Ohio and one mine in Tennessee.
The action targets a practice known as mountaintop removal mining. The method involves blasting away mountaintops to expose multiple coal seams and, in most cases, burying intermittent streams with excess rock.
"Release of this preliminary list is the first step in a process to assure that the environmental concerns raised by the 79 permit applications are addressed," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 12, 2009 11:29 AM
Posted to Environment