EPA responds to Manchin's lawsuit

by: Carnacki

Wed Oct 06, 2010 at 15:34:30 PM EDT

EPA released a statement in response, saying that state officials "have not engaged in a meaningful discussion of sustainable mining practices that will create jobs while protecting the waters that Appalachian communities depend on for drinking, swimming and fishing."

"EPA continues to be willing to work with industry to reach common sense agreements allowing them to mine coal while avoiding permanent environmental impacts and protecting water quality," said EPA spokesman Brendan Gilfillan.

Senator Robert C. Byrd said we needed an honest broker on the issue. Unfortunately, Manchin, in trying to appeal to Republicans who aren't going to vote for him anyway, is putting election season politics ahead of good policy. That is a losing proposition for both his political ambitions and for the state. It does not matter how much he tries to distance himself from President Obama, he's going to fail because he's trying to reach out to irrational folks.

Update

At Coal Tattoo, Ward asks: Would Sen. Byrd have supported Gov. Manchin's lawsuit against EPA over mountaintop removal?:

Short answer, no, as Ward knows and quotes Byrd:

Scapegoating and stoking fear among workers over the permitting process is counter-productive ... when coal industry representatives stir up public anger toward federal regulatory agencies, it can damage the state's ability to work with those agencies to West Virginia's benefit ... West Virginians may demonstrate anger toward the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over mountaintop removal mining, but we risk the very probable consequence of shouting ourselves out of any productive dialogue with EPA and our adversaries in the Congress.

In invoking Senator Byrd at his press conference, Governor Manchin overreached.