EPA nixes mountain mining plans January 13, 2011 The US
Environmental Protection Agency has revoked a permit for what
would have been the country’s largest mountaintop coal mine.
Mountaintop mining is controversial because it strips trees and
rocks to expose coal seams near a mountain’s summit. The debris
is often dumped in valleys below, impacting water quality and
wildlife (see Mountaintop mining plans close to defeat) Mining
company Arch Coal wanted to extract coal from the Spruce Mine in
the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. They had obtained
approval from the Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible
for the nation’s mineral resources, in 2007. This is the first
time such a permit has been revoked. “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,” said EPA Assistant Administrator
for Water Peter S. Silva in a statement. The statement
continues: EPA’s decision to st