Calling coal to full accounting

US cracks down on mountaintop coal-mine permits

Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:36pm EDT
By Timothy Gardner

NEW YORK, Sept 11 (Reuters) - U.S. environmental regulators said on Friday they will scrutinize 79 applications for mountaintop coal-mine permits in Appalachia to guard against damage to water supplies.

"Release of this preliminary list is the first step in a process to assure that the environmental concerns raised by the 79 permit applications are addressed and that permits issued are protective of water quality and affected ecosystems," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement.

In mountaintop mining, companies blast the tops of hills with dynamite to get to the coal seams. The resulting rubble is pushed off the mountains into valleys below, often burying streams.

The move was seen as a sign that President Barack Obama, who has put environmental and energy issues high on his agenda, is serious about slowing down mountaintop mining.

(More here.)