The agency is holding a public hearing on St. Louis-based Arch Coal’s Spruce No. 1 mine at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Charleston Civic Center.
The EPA says it’s going to veto the water quality permit granted for the Logan County mine in 2007.
The problem?
EPA says Arch plans to bury 7 miles of intermittent streams with mine waste and that would hurt water quality.
Environmental groups and coal industry associations from West Virginia and Kentucky say they’re planning to testify as well as hold rallies.
At 5 p.m., at the Charleston Civic Center, the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES) will hold a pre-hearing meeting for representatives and supporters of the coal industry.
A press release sent out by the organization urges people to attend the meeting and to “rally on behalf of benefits mining provides the region” and to address the issue with the EPA.
This hearing was called by the Commissioner of the StatE Road Department to abandon a very important County Road, 119/7, this road is the only public access to the top of Blair Mountain. Blair Mountain as you may know is the site of a historic battle, known as the battle of Blair Mountain.
The closing of this County Road by the State will precipitate the MTRM and destruction of this most historical site and continue the closing of roads and schools to facilitate the striping of Logan County as a whole.
As you might speculate, no Mingo Banner "reporter" was present.