| Abstract: |
The recent approval of an openpit coal-mining permit for Arch Coal's Pine Creek mine, in West Virginia, does not change the fact that it is almost impossible to get permits in Central Appalachia at the moment, Arch CEO Steven Leer said on Friday.
The Environmental Protection Agency is cracking down on so-called mountaintop mining, and announced last year that 79 proposed surface coal-mining projects had been identified for further, detailed reviews of their pending permits, after an initial review concluded that all 79 projects, in four states, would likely cause water quality impacts. |