DEP allows coal company to operate strip mining complex, including impacts to national forest, without first obtaining necessary approvals

South Fork Coal Company's Rocky Run Surface Mine cutting a gash into the Yew Mountains above the South Fork Cherry River and the community of Richwood. Photo by Andrew Young/ Southwings

Today, a coalition of conservation groups submitted a complaint and public comment objecting to a decision by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to grant “advanced approval” to two mining companies that want to take over South Fork Coal Company’s permits for operations near the Monongahela National Forest, including a haul road that illegally runs through part of the forest.

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