Posted by Tina
An Obama appointed judge has delivered a sizable blow to the EPA regarding a West Virginia coal mining industry case:
Don Serber, Daily Mail shares the AP story:
Judge Jackson on Friday gave a fair and impartial swift kick in the rear to President Obama and EPA administrator Lisa Jackson (no relation) for overstepping their authority. She smacked the administration down hard for its capricious abuse of environmental laws to punish West Virginia and its coal-mining industry. The company had followed the law and obtained the necessary permits only to have them “reviewed” when the new administration came into power.
Judge Jackson said no.
Vicki Smith of the Associated Press reported: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority last year in revoking water pollution permits that another agency had issued for one of West Virginia’s largest mountaintop removal coal mines, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Friday. In siding with St. Louis-based Arch Coal, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson declared the permits were valid. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had issued the permits for the 2,300-acre Spruce No. 1 mine in Logan County.”
Tax-exempt liberal lobbyists want the senseless fight to continue. From Miss Smith’s story: “The Sierra Club, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Coal River Mountain Watch and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy urged EPA to appeal, arguing the agency must be able to fully protect the region’s waters.”
Perhaps it’s time the Sierra Club, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, et al should have to pass a long series of tests and pay considerable fees before bringing such cases to court. Maybe that would clean out our courts for cases that actually need to be heard and our energy providers could operate with a lot less needless harassment and expense. It would never happen but I can dream…meanwhile, good on ya, Judge Jackson.