(RE)MOVING MOUNTAINS: Mountaintop mining in Kentucky
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The Obama administration announced a plan today for curbing the use of streamlined federal permitting for mountaintop coal mining and boosting efforts to protect rivers and streams from mining debris.
The administration stopped short of prohibiting mountaintop operations, opting instead to curb what it considers the mining technique's most environmentally damaging aspects with an agreement among the Interior Department, the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. EPA.
"The Obama administration has serious concerns about the impacts of mountaintop removal mining on our natural resources and on the health and welfare of the Appalachian communities," said Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Within this plan, the Obama administration is doing all it can under existing laws and regulations to curb the most environmentally destructive impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining."
The administration's biggest move modifies the corps's issuance of "nationwide permits" to preclude their use to authorize the discharge of debris into water bodies from surface-mining operations in Appalachia. Nationwide permits are allowed under the Clean Water Act for projects with "minimal cumulative environmental impacts."
By curbing such permitting, the administration is following the lead of U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Goodwin of the Southern District of West Virginia, who in March ruled that the Army Corps improperly issued such permits without preparing environmental impact assessments.
The administration filed a notice of appeal on the ruling yesterday, but Sutley said the move was a strictly procedural and not meant to indicate the administration would ultimately appeal.
The administration is also calling for greater federal scrutiny of state mining regulators and closing loopholes that allow valley waterways to be damaged by rock and soil that mining companies blast from mountaintops to expose coal deposits.
Then-Sen. Barack Obama expressed concerns over mountaintop mining during the presidential campaign last year, and both the coal industry and environmentalists have been anxious for months about how his administration might handle the issue.
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9 Comments
Add CommentIf we can't "regulate" strip mining, mountaintop removal, and destruction of the affected waterways... how dare we even pretend to care about our environments.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisObama Puts Brakes on Mountaintop Removal
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I'll believe it when it happens.
"The administration filed a notice of appeal on the ruling yesterday, but Sutley said the move was a strictly procedural and not meant to indicate the administration would ultimately appeal."
"But EPA also recently approved 42 permits for Appalachian mining operations, including some mountaintop mines, and sided with the coal industry in opposing the rehearing of an appeals court case that could have decided whether the Army Corps has been improperly handling mountaintop permits."
I think the WH is playing the environmental community for fools.
Who cares about America. Destroy all you want. As long as you're making money at it, no one should be allowed to stop you. The country is not mountains and rivers and plants and animals. The country is peoples money. Blow it up, Burn it up, Grind it to a powder. Screw this place. I mean really, whose gonna miss some mountains? What a dump, anyway. They don't even have starbucks on those mountaintops. Just land going to waste...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOk you glass half empty people, At least it's a step in the right direction and hopefully this practice can be banned while going along with development of alternative jobs for the people that would be affected. We need to hope for a "win win" here. The Appalachian mountain range is a beautiful place and needs to either find an alternative to the current methods of mining or develop an alternative.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am so god damn sick and tired of the environmental whackos insisting on making life impossible for the rest of us with a brain. Now I have a question for you. Where the hell are we going to get the coal we need for electricity, since you all have outlawed nuclear power and have outlawed oil drilling. So, we now have to rely more heavily for resources abroad, the same individuals financing terrorism, all so that you can pretend you're doing something positive. Pat yourselves on the back, because slowly and surely, you and this Obamanation is sending us ever closer to absolute destruction.
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this2009 Goldman Environmental Prize Recipients Maria Gunno and Marc Ona have made progress while facing death threats concerning destructive mt. removal and destructive mining. Mr. Ona resides in West Africa and is wheelchair-bound; this feature does not slow him down.
Over 7 decades of environmental sloth has lead some to consider our biosphere a capitalist makeover or dead end.
Naming countries who lead others thru environmental awareness, fictional heroine prompts credit due; look at Windhoek, Namibia. This country is the only country in the world that purifies sewage water into potable water. Look at Petra. Ancient ceramic water pipes transported water to areas of need. These leading countries are featured in a book by Peter Swanson called Water The Drop of Life.
I am thankful truthful leaders are not always punished for being 100 percent committed to their competent actions. Some how we have to prevent pollution activists from gaining trump courage in incivility induced forums. Protecting the biosphere does not mean feeding into a private/public speaker, who always manipulates an out in dole time.
To chickenbuttlips,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell I am not an environmental wacko, very well educated here and I must admit that your post is well worded no matter what it said.
There are alternatives and we need to push ahead on them, a program that promotes "change" get it? It does have to be done in conjunction with development of new resources and education and opportunities for those affected also.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisArch will lose multi-million profits in this next decade, if our politicians correct a 180 degree lobbying goal.
Decades of political assertion has allowed coal and oil businessmen and businesswomen to disband renewable technologies, safe and lucrative as they are.
Espial investigations merely leads to more paperwork, tying up lobbying rack earnings.
Tough Legislation Prohibiting Coal Power
Health care costs will evenly project nation wide health standards at a premium advantage once 500 megawatt coal-fired plants disband. Bye bye 3.7 million tons of CO2, 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide, 500 tons of small particles, 220 tons of hydrocarbons, 720 tons of carbon monoxide, 125,000 tons of ash-193,000 tons of sludge, 225 pounds of arsenic, 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium ) : , mercury and more. http://www.desmogblog.com/coal-power-industry-united-states-facts
Arch lobbied Congress last year spending $970,000. Arch gave $116,750 to House members in 2007-2008 and $73,250 to Senate members.
The United States Congress willfully reacts to Arch and other coal suppliers.
Every residential home and living space in America could have been equipped with solar technology from the funds directed towards the Iraqi invasion. US citizens are not dependent on coal; the US government and coal/oil businessmen and businesswomen are.
When all the coal, oil and gas has gone, people will say : "Why didn't our leaders have the foresight to make us economise on our energy sources?" But the leaders will say "Why didn't the people have the wisdom to live economical lifestyles?" In the last analysis it is up to every individual to act with intelligence if they care about the fate of future generations. There are no easy solutions and only the apt will survive.
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