EPA administrator Lisa Jackson appeared before the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to discuss the Clean Water Act.
Rahall asked Jackson
point blank how she feels about coal mining.
“As you are aware, some of the most ardent and vocal
opponents to what EPA is doing claim that you want to end all coal mining. Again, just want to give you a chance for the
record to clarify that,” Rahall said.
“I’m happy to clarify that to say unequivocally neither EPA
nor I personally have any desire to end coal mining, have any hidden agenda or
any agenda whatsoever that has to do with coal mining as an industry,” Jackson
said.
“I believe that coal can be mined safely and cleanly. I believe it can be done in a way that
minimizes impacts to water quality and I believe it’s EPA’s role and
responsibility and duty under the Clean Water Act to speak to those issues and
only those issues,” she said.
Both Democrat Rahall and Republican Capito said there is a
great deal of frustration and concern in Appalachia’s
coalfields over the permitting process for mountaintop removal mining.
They stressed that the administration’s position for more
scrutiny of this type of coal mining affects jobs, families and communities.
Capito said the coal industry is in “maybeland.”
“They don’t have permission to mine and they don’t know when
or if they will get permission,” Capito said.
Jackson said the
79 permits currently under review have been held up for years by litigation and
had never been reviewed by the EPA.
She said there are some scientific concerns about the large
amounts of valley fills that have been allowed since a new stream buffer rule
was developed in 2008 under the Bush administration.
Now, Jackson
says, these permits are back in the hands of the Corps of Engineers and a 60
day period of review will begin.
“So now as the Corps open these permits for review and there
begins the work of working with the permit applicants to try to address whether
or not they have minimized valley fill and potential water impacts,” Jackson
said.
“What we are seeing with the science here is that as these
watersheds have more and more valley fills in them, frankly, we see water
quality impacts and it starts at the ecosystem level with conductivity
increases that indicate selenium and other increases and we believe that over
time that’s going to be a larger problem and not a smaller one.
“And so what really has to happen is rolling to minimize in
these instances.”
The EPA Administrator promised to continue meeting with
Rahall and Capito to work through permits for mountaintop removal coal
mines.
To hear an excerpt from the Clean Water Act hearing,
featuring Capitol and Rahall questioning Jackson,
click on the audio link at the top of the story.