Breaking News! EPA vetoes largest MTR mine!

Jan 13, 2011

Coal River Mountain Watch and our allies applaud the EPA's decision, announced today, to veto the Spruce No. 1 mountaintop removal mining project, which would have been the largest mountaintop removal operation in Appalachia. The EPA vetoed Mingo Logan coal company's valley fill permit, based on the negative impact on local water supplies. Spruce No. 1 would have destroyed more than seven miles of vital streams and more than 2,000 mountain acres in an important part of Appalachia. According to Peter S. Silva, EPA’s assistant administrator for water, "The proposed Spruce No. 1 Mine would use destructive and unsustainable mining practices that jeopardize the health of Appalachian communities and clean water on which they depend." We are excited to see the EPA finally beginning to take seriously the concerns of Appalachian communities whose water supplies are being destroyed and poisoned by the coal industry.

For more information, see today's WV Gazette Coal Tattoo blog.

The EPA is already coming under fire from the coal industry for this decision. The industry is calling on Congress to restrict the EPA's authority. Please take a moment to email your representative and your senators and tell them you support the EPA's action to veto the Spruce No 1 mine and protect the people and water of Appalachia.