Posts Tagged ‘West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’
DEP allows coal company to operate strip mining complex, including impacts to national forest, without first obtaining necessary approvals
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.
Read MoreA black water spill, precarious permits, a contempt hearing and a new Justice company enters the scene
West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice is the richest senator in the country, according to recent reporting that also highlights his substantial debts. In light of this news, we thought it appropriate to provide an update on our team’s continued work to deal with the ongoing impacts of his family’s coal empire, and their decades-long track record of environmental destruction.
Read MoreDEP report concludes KD 1 Surface Mine is cause of acid mine drainage near Marmet
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has concluded that a surface mine near Kanawha State Forest is polluting a tributary to Lens Creek outside of Marmet with acid mine drainage and high levels of manganese, aluminum, conductivity and sulfates.
Read MoreCANCELED: Justice family coal company must explain to regulators why mountaintop removal mining permit should not be revoked
A coal company owned and operated by the family of U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., will need to explain why its permit for a large mountaintop removal mining operation known as the Poca mine shouldn’t be revoked.
Read MoreDEP expected to allow Florida-based coal company to walk away from water pollution at Marmet
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection appears poised to release Keystone West Virginia, LLC, a Florida-based coal company, from its obligation to treat ongoing acid mine drainage originating at the KD #1 Surface Mine. A public comment period on the pending decision concluded on Saturday.
Read MoreWest Virginia DEP Suspends Bluestone Coal’s Mining Permit for Poca Surface Mine
West Virginia regulators suspended the mining permit for a Bluestone Coal surface mine in Wyoming County that is operated by the family of Sen. Jim Justice.
Read MoreFederal regulators poised to crack down on coal mine operated by Jim Justice’s family
On Dec. 10, 2024, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement sent a damning letter to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection over the state’s failure to rein in operations on a wildly non-compliant coal strip mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia.
Read MoreEnvironmental groups sue South Fork Coal over damages near Cranberry Wilderness
The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and Appalachian Voices sued South Fork Coal Company today for ongoing violations of the federal Clean Water Act and Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act at five coal mines in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.
Read MoreMassive Funding Boost Spurs Coal Clean-up Efforts in Appalachia
Appalachian states received $725 million from the federal government this summer to clean up decades-old abandoned mines. Read about their efforts!
Read MoreCourt vacates critical West Virginia water permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline
Today, a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit vacated the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Clean Water Act § 401 certification for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, finding that the agency’s justification behind its conclusion that the pipeline would not violate the state’s water quality standards was deficient.
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