EPA veto of Spruce No. 1 coal mine water permit – a ban too far?

Mountaintop removal coal mining continues to raise controversy in the US. The latest row started last Friday when the EPA announced its proposal under the Clean Water Act to significantly restrict or prohibit mountain top mining at the Spruce No. 1 surface mine in Logan County, West Virginia. Spruce No.1 mine is one of the largest mountaintop removal operations ever proposed in Central Appalachia. The project was permitted in 2007 and subsequently delayed by litigation. (more…)