EPA closer to blocking huge mountaintop mine

"The Obama administration has moved another step closer to blocking the largest mountaintop removal permit in West Virginia history, with a veto recommendation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regional administrator," writes Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette.

The recommendation on Arch Coal's Spruce No. 1 Mine near Blair (MapQuest image), which environmentalists have been trying to stop since it was proposed in 1998, went to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson three weeks ago, "but agency officials had refused to publicly release it until pressured to do so by a federal judge" handling legal action over the permit process, Ward reports.

An EPA spokesman said the agency would "reach out" to Arch, state officials and the Army Corps of Engineers, which issues Clean Water Act permits for mines, to discuss how the mine plan might be altered to reduce potential damage to streams, wildlife and communities. "In the past year, EPA efforts have produced two mining permits in which much of the coal reserves could be mined, while impacts on water quality were significantly reduced," Ward notes. (Read more)

EPA questioned the permit more than a year ago. The revelation of the regional administrator's recommendation comes as Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin is working hard to separate himself from the Obama administration's coal policies and fend off a surprisigly strong challenge from Republican John Raese in a U.S. Senate race that could decide control of the chamber.