The EPA’s decision to reject two permits for mountaintop mining for sites in Boone County and Pike County, Ky. has caused local governing officials to take a stance.
All three Mingo County Commissioners sent letters to Sen. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV), Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) and Congressman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) expressing concern about the current status of mountaintop removal as well as the intense scrutiny the Environmental Protection Agency has admitted using for such operations.
In March the EPA placed hundreds of mountaintop mining operations on notice, saying it “needs to review their impact on local streams and wetlands before they can move forward.”
County commission president John Mark Hubbard, Vice-president Greg “Hootie” Smith and Commissioner David Baisden told the senators and congressman the MCC is in full support of mountaintop removal explaining it is “crucial not only to southern West Virginia, but the United States as a whole.”
The EPA’s announcement contests a Bush administration policy and hindered the outcome of a federal court decision, which made it easier for mines to get rid of rubble and sludge created after the tops of mountains are blown off to access the coal underneath.
The statement given last month said the EPA would "take a close look" at applications that had been the focus of the latest court proceedings.
The EPA sent letters to the Army Corps of Engineers saying the proposed operations in West Virginia and Kentucky should be halted.
"The two letters reflect EPA's considerable concern regarding the environmental impact these projects would have on fragile habitats and streams," EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a statement. "I have directed the agency to review other mining permit requests. EPA will use the best science and follow the letter of the law in ensuring we are protecting our environment."
The county commissioners say the denial of mountaintop permits will “jeopardize the tax base of southern West Virginia counties, severely hampering the ability of local governments to provide basic resources to residents.”
“Most importantly, hard working men and women who are employed by coal and its related industries are either losing their jobs or seeing their hours and benefits cut drastically, causing hardship that will soon be felt not only by those directly affected, but all of us who live in the coalfields,” the commissioners said in the letter.
The commissioners concluded the letter to Rockefeller, Byrd and Rahall, “Mingo Countians realize that you supported President Obama in his bid to obtain the presidency and have great faith in his ability to manage the affairs of the United States. On behalf of the people we both represent, (MCC) is requesting that you please use any and all means available to convince President Obama and EPA officials to approve mountaintop removal permits, honor post-mine land reclamation plans included with these permits and keep West Virginia working as well as keep the lights on in the United States.”
Williamson Daily News - April 26, 2009