Army Corps suspends Ison Rock permit!!!!
aw58461 May 7th, 2009
Under Pressure, Army Corps Suspends Fill Permit for
Virginia Mountaintop Removal Coal Mine
Community members praise decision to protect streams, residents
Big Stone Gap, Virginia – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has informed A&G Coal company of Wise County, Virginia that it will be suspending its previously granted “Nationwide 21” permit for dumping waste into streams at the proposed Ison Rock Ridge surface coal mine in Southwest Virginia. In a letter released today, the Army Corps informed A&G that the suspension is due to the “significant lapse of time” between federal approval and state review and because of concerns raised by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as to the cumulative impacts of the mine.
The Army Corps’ action this week follows a letter from the EPA asking the Army Corps to revoke the permit – which had been approved by the Army Corps in August 2007 – because of concerns of inadequate mitigation and the overall cumulative impacts of surface mining in the Powell River Watershed.
“Its great to see that all our work is paying off,” said Pete Ramey, retired coal miner and president of the group Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards (SAMS). “We’ve spent so much time and energy as a community on Ison Rock Ridge over the last two years building this struggle and getting our neighbors involved. This really and truly is a great victory for the people and streams of Southwest Virginia.”
A&G needs both the Army Corps fill permit and a state mining permit before it can begin mining. The Virginia Department of Mines Minerals and Energy (DMME), the state agency responsible for issuing the mining permit, had been expected to make a decision soon on that permit, which is the focal point of a struggle between communities and mining companies for more than two years.
“Our community is against destroying this mountain, and we are glad to see that the Corps and EPA are willing to do what’s right,” said resident Bob Mullins, whose property borders the proposed mine. “I look forward to hearing similar news from DMME soon.”
This news is just one more step in a recent series of actions by federal agencies to protect Ison Rock Ridge from being forever destroyed by the proposed massive 1,300 acre mountaintop removal site. Communities and environmental groups will now be looking to DMME to deny the mining permit outright and to solidify the Army Corps action and protect the hundreds of people who live in the surrounding area.
“Although the Army Corps only suspended the permit, we doubt that it can ever be reissued,” said Jim Hecker, an attorney with Public Justice. “Both EPA’s recent objection letter and a recent West Virginia court decision recognize that the impacts of mountaintop removal mines like this one are so large that they are ineligible for “cookie-cutter,” nationwide permits. We now expect that, if A&G Coal wants to open this mine, it will have to obtain an individual permit, which will require much more rigorous environmental review.”
If allowed, the Ison Rock Ridge mine would destroy three miles of streams and fill nine lush valleys with more than 11 million cubic yards of rock and dirt. The massive mountaintop removal coal mine would surround the community of Derby, bringing destruction within a half mile of the historic district, eliminating the community’s tourism appeal.
Other nearby affected communities include Andover, Inman, and Osaka and the Town of Appalachia.
“We applaud the EPA for pressuring the Army Corps to take action, and we are glad that the Army Corps recognizes that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ permit does not apply for mountaintop removal, and that the rule of law still applies in Appalachia,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.
Background
Mountaintop removal mining is a destructive form of coal mining that has already contaminated or destroyed nearly 2,000 miles of streams. The mining poisons drinking water, lays waste to wildlife habitat, increases the risk of flooding and wipes out entire communities. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/MTR or www.samsva.org.
The company that operates the Ison Rock Ridge site, A&G Coal, is known for its role in the August 20, 2004 tragedy in which a boulder from an A&G strip mine rolled down a hillside and crashed into a family’s Wise County home below, killing a sleeping three-year-old child in his bedroom.