Appeals court reinstates permits for mountaintop removal coal mining

[Thom Little]

A federal appeals court Wednesday reinstated a streamlined Army Corps of Engineers process for granting permits for mountaintop-removal coal mining in West Virginia.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overruled a lower-court judge, finding that the corps complied with the Clean Water Act.

In mountaintop mining, hilltops are blasted away to uncover coal seams, and the leftover rock and dirt are dumped into adjacent valleys, burying streams.

Last year, in a victory for environmental groups, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin last year revoked 11 permits issued by the Corps. Among other things, he said the Corps had not followed the proper procedures under environmental protection laws.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MOUNTAINTOP_REMOVAL_KYOL-?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-11-23-16-41-58

[GrpCaptMandrake]

1. Dirty, rotten

rat bastard Repiglicans on the 4th Circuit! I despise 'em!

This is "judicial activism" at its very worst, but you'll never hear a peep of complaint from the Ditto-dingbat Repiglicans.

[Lasher]

2. There's more on this issue at this DU thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1945912

There, please take particularl, please note the makeup of the corporate-owned 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

I also posted this at my blog.

I have not yet been able to determine if this decision is going to be appealed.