Posted on October 12, 2010 by David Flannery
On October 6, 2010, and at the direction of Governor Joe Manchin (D-WV), the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) filed a complaint against EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. The complaint alleges that two actions by EPA, requiring surface mine permit applications to undergo enhanced scrutiny and setting a new water quality standard based on conductivity, are unlawful and have brought the permitting process to a standstill. WVDEP is seeking a court order declaring EPA’s actions to be unlawful and enjoining their implementation.
WVDEP argues that EPA’s actions 1) are substantive rule changes that did not go through formal rulemaking required by the APA; 2) require the Corps to apply illegal presumptions during environmental assessments of new surface mine permits; 3) usurp West Virginia’s authority to implement its own water quality standards and effectively issue NPDES and SMCRA permits; 4) impose new water quality standards that are not based on sound science; and 5) have caused undue delays in the issuance of surface mining permits and threaten the supply of coal available for the nation’s energy needs.
Governor Manchin is in a hotly contested race for the US Senate in which his opponent is accusing him of being a “rubber stamp” for President Obama. Undoubtedly this action will be offered as a response to that criticism.
Tags: Water Quality Standards