West Virginia Environmental Secretary Frustrated with EPA
Mar 4 – “The kind of standards that EPA is talking about will significantly limit mineral extraction in the state,” says Randy Huffman, West Virginia’s Environmental Protection Secretary, “it could eliminate it in many areas.” Frustrated with the EPA, Huffman met with the state Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee to express his concerns. He cited the EPA’s lack of coordination with the state on water quality standards and failing to be consistent on mining permit guidelines as prime examples. “We felt like that [Hobet 45 mine] was a model in which future permits could be structured,” says Huffman on the only permit to be granted since the EPA started the “enhanced review” process. But EPA regulators, to Huffman’s consternation, noted that the Hobet 45 permit negotiations should not be seen as an example for the 23 remaining permits. Listen to the interview from West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
