The agency says if granted sites would not comply with the Clean Water Act. The EPA made the announcement Wednesday.
The
process started back in March when the EPA put the process of
mountaintop removal mining under scrutiny.
After months of research the EPA said yesterday the mines would significantly harm water quality downstream.
Coal industry leaders warn of massive layoffs and higher electricity prices.
Roger
Horton is a surface miner from Logan County and the leader of Citizens
for Coal. He says EPA’s announcement is fueling emotion throughout the
industry.
“We’re very angry,” he said. “We’re not going to take it anymore.”
Horton also pointed out that some permits are for new sites but others are necessary to keep active surface mines working.
“I’m
very much concerned about my job as are everybody else,” he said.
“These people have kids in school. These people have kids in college.
They have older relatives they are taking care of, they have
mortgages.”
Before yesterday’s announcement,
Horton says coal related businesses in Logan County are already putting
off purchase orders, and with limited options, that’s bad news for coal
business.
He wished the EPA would work with the industry to resolve the issues.
“If
the EPA would just come forward and say look this is the problem we’re
going to invest with you time and effort to help you fix it because we
realize what how important your industry is,” he said.
“That’s
not what they’re saying. What they’re saying by these regulatory
hurdles they keep putting in front of us is , we really don’t care you
figure it out and if you can’t we’re going to throw something else in
the mix to make sure that you don’t.”
But the
permits are not off the table. The EPA says it will work with the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to modify them so they do not violate federal
water quality standards.
Vernon Halton is with Coal River Mountain Watch in Raleigh County. He wants to see mountaintop removal abolished.
“Ending
mountaintop removal will not end the coal industry in West Virginia,”
he said. “There would actually be probably more mining jobs if they
went underground.”
He says EPA’s decision leaves him feeling optimistic, but also skeptical.
“We
hope that they will continue using science and law,” he said. “We hope
that they will not cave into political pressure from special interest
coal lobbyists.”
Matt Turner, spokesman for Governor
Joe Manchin’s office says the decision was not unexpected and the
governor hopes the reviews will be quick so that mines can begin
working again.
Meanwhile members of the Alliance for
Appalachia, a system of 13 groups trying to end mountaintop removal,
are applauding the announcement. They stand firm that the process of
mountaintop mining is not possible without damaging local water
supplies and violating the Clean Water Act.
Beth Vorhees and Scott Finn contributed to this story.