West Virginia mines are not at all like the Number 9 mine in Lansford. In West “Almost Heaven” Virginia entire mountain tops are removed to expose the coal. The mountains, called “spoil,” are dumped into nearby valleys, creating polluted streams and rivers, floods, and devastation that will not be mitigated by planting a few trees.
The Spruce Number 1 Mine just had its permit pulled by the EPA, even though the Army Corps of Engineers, an agency noted for its environmental obtuseness, had already approved the mountain top removal from over 2100 acres.
The EPA action will be labeled as jobs killing. The two Democratic Senators from West Virginia are already complaining about the decision. Environmentalists ought to give more credit and support to the Obama administration for its pro-environmental record. You can bet one of the agencies the Republicans plan to defund is the EPA.
Incidentally, the Arch coal company that hopes to open Spruce Number 1 mine has announced it will fight the EPA’s decision in court.
You want an example of an oxymoron? How about “clean coal.”
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