Army Corps of Engineers Issues Permit for Major Mountaintop Removal at West Virginia Coal Mine.

An ominous sign for Appalachia’s People, Mountains and Waterways, according to Sierra Club

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a final permit to Arch Coal Inc.’s Coal-Mac Pine Creek Surface Mine in Logan County, West Virginia. This large mine would be one of the most significant mountaintop removal coal mines to receive a permit since the Environmental Protection Agency announced more stringent permit review guidance in April .

Bill Price, Sierra Club Environmental Justice organizer in West Virginia, issued the following statement:

"The massive Pine Creek Surface Mine would devastate the neighboring communities and waterways. This permit would allow Arch Coal Inc.’s Coal-Mac to bury more than two miles of streams with toxic mining waste and conditionally fill three entire valleys.

"We had hoped that the EPA’s more stringent guidance for mountaintop removal coal mining would mean protection for our communities, but this is a step in the wrong direction. Mining companies have already buried close to 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams beneath piles of toxic waste and debris. We can’t allow this gigantic mine to bury more than two miles of streams and up to three entire valleys with toxic mining waste."