Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Judge Continues Stay Of Arch Coal Permit
WEST VIRGINIA....
U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers has extended his ruling suspending action in a lawsuit over the largest mountaintop removal mining permit in West Virginia history until February 22nd. Chambers took the action to give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency more time to process his potential veto of the Clean Water Act permit issued by the federal Army Corps of Engineers for Arch Coal Inc.'s Spruce Mine in Logan County. Chambers ruled a little more than two weeks after the Obama administration EPA moved a step closer toward a historic veto of the nearly 2,300-acre permit to mine in the Pigeonroost Hollow area near Blair.
EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin recommended the permit be vetoed, citing concerns that the mine would bury nearly seven miles of headwater streams and pollute waterways downstream from the mine site, add to deforestation and to other damage that mountaintop removal already is doing to coalfield communities across the region. Arch Coal has argued against continuing the litigation stay, saying it wanted its day in court.
U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers has extended his ruling suspending action in a lawsuit over the largest mountaintop removal mining permit in West Virginia history until February 22nd. Chambers took the action to give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency more time to process his potential veto of the Clean Water Act permit issued by the federal Army Corps of Engineers for Arch Coal Inc.'s Spruce Mine in Logan County. Chambers ruled a little more than two weeks after the Obama administration EPA moved a step closer toward a historic veto of the nearly 2,300-acre permit to mine in the Pigeonroost Hollow area near Blair.
EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin recommended the permit be vetoed, citing concerns that the mine would bury nearly seven miles of headwater streams and pollute waterways downstream from the mine site, add to deforestation and to other damage that mountaintop removal already is doing to coalfield communities across the region. Arch Coal has argued against continuing the litigation stay, saying it wanted its day in court.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 6:44 PM 
