Mountaintop Removal: Should It Go On?

West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood is also knee deep in the debate. In May, Underwood announced that he would form the Task Force on Mountaintop Mining Practices to examine the issues. J. Wade Gilley, President of Marshall University, was asked to chair of the committee. Recomendations from the task force came out earlier this month.

Underwood has tried hard to convince the public that the problem of mountaintop removal didn't start when he took office. An August 3 column in the Gazette, Let's set the record straight on mountaintop removal, gives much of his position on the issue.

Representative Bob Wise (D-WV) has been a vocal critic of Underwood on mining issues. Wise represents a 20 county belt across the center of WV. John McFerrin (August 28) probably speaks for the media in general in West Virginia, with his view of Wise as the issue's champion and Underwood as the goat: Fresh Air: Wise sharp contrast to Underwood on mountaintop removal.

Of course The United Mine Workers of America has a lot at stake in the battle over mountaintop removal. The UMWA made its first major statement on the issue in October and the union's president, Cecil Roberts, had a column appear in the Gazette on Oct. 12: Responsible mining: UMWA wants communities, environment protected.

Two federal agencies are involved in the battle. The Office of Surface Mining has turned most regulatory functions over to the states in recent years because of budget cuts. Many critics of mountaintop removal feel that the OSM regulations allow damage to streams and rivers that the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations do not allow. Whether or not these two Federal agencies have conflicting rules is one of the biggest puzzles to be solved on the issue.

One last figure worth mentioning: with a statement earlier this month, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) stepped into the fray.

The Battle Lines

The battle lines on mountaintop removal have been reinforced over the last few months in the media, in court and in government offices. Next week this column will look at exactly where those battle lines are and what is at stake.

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