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Ken Ward Jr. at Coal Tattoo fact checks some local coverage from the Associated Press on stories involving coal and the election and finds them severely wanting:
Of course, Tim didn't explain what mine permit Maynard might have been talking about ... if it was the Spruce Mine, it might have been nice to clarify that it hasn't been vetoed yet, that the limited operations there haven't yet been shut down, or that there are no 300 coal miners who have been put out of work there at this point.
In a separate story, the AP profiled Maynard's campaign, and described EPA's actions on strip mining this way:
Under President Obama, the agency has adopted policies designed to curb surface mining in the region. The changes have slowed the flow of water-quality permits for surface mines to a trickle.
OK ... am I the only one who wonders if AP asked Maynard to respond to the growing body of science that shows that mountaintop removal's impacts on Appalachian communities and the environment is "pervasive and irreversible" or about the projections that show a major decline in Central Appalachian coal production regardless of any restrictions on mountaintop removal or greenhouse gas emissions? How about asking Spike exactly what problem he has with EPA permits that have reduced environmental impacts, while allowing coal mining to continue?
I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again: Ward is a credit to his profession.
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