Call-to-Action: Stop Joe Manchin's Anti-EPA Bill

Manchin's premise completely flawed (4.00 / 4)

First of all, even if the permit had been completely issued, all court challenges exhausted, and the brightest green light evah shined, wouldn't we all want applicable government agencies to be step in if conditions turned unsafe?

Otherwise, it's like writing a blank check for 20-30 years of mining pollution. That's a really long time for cumulative impacts to occur and for new science to emerge about those impacts.

Second, the EPA never approved Spruce Mine. Spruce Mine has never received all the necessary approvals.

Here's a really nice succinct summary from Ken Ward, Jr.
The diary The politics of the Spruce Mine: Do facts matter? and these diaries on Spruce Mine have more details.

As we've written in print and in Coal Tattoo:

1. The permit was issued by the Corps of Engineers in January 2007.

2. About a week after it was issued, citizen groups filed a court challenge -- technically, they sought to add that permit to an ongoing case before Judge Chambers. They sought a Temporary Restratining Order (TRO) to block any mining there.

3. The citizen groups and Arch Coal reached a "stand still" agreement whereby Arch could proceed with work in the Seng Camp area of the permit. The company agreed to work only in that area, and the citizen groups agreed not to push for the TRO to stop the permit.

4. Mining continued in that area, with a limited amount of coal removal, burial of streams, and a couple dozen workers at most employed.  They produced about 600,000 tons of coal last year with 29 workers.

What has been most misleading are statements that have suggested that:

1. EPA approved this mining project. No so. As I've written, they questioned it every step of the way.

2. The mine received all necessary approvals ... the law allows a legal challenge to such permits, and this one was challenged, and has never been decided by Judge Chambers.

The situation is like someone with a learner's permit who passes the written portion of a driver's license test and then complains because they failed the driving portion. If they aren't a safe driver, we should all want the laws upheld to keep them getting a full fledged driver's license.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 16:13:27 PM UTC

EPA Regulations (0.00 / 0)

We really need to repeal the 2005 Clean Air Act that Dick Cheney and Halliburton put in place. It might help if we could stop Fracking of the Marcellus Shale. That would do more to save our waters than anything else.  

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by: kworkman @ Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 23:56:53 PM UTC

Called his Charleston office (4.00 / 1)

I spoke with one of his assistants at the Charleston office and told her I was against his anti-EPA bill and also against mountaintop removal. She took down my basic information and said she would pass on the message to Senator Manchin.

I encourage others to call and encourage the senator to drop his anti-EPA bill.

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by: New2Charleston @ Mon Feb 07, 2011 at 17:43:53 PM UTC