Four federal agencies which oversee (permit) mountaintop mining, and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, are seeking public comment as they begin a two-year environmental impact study of mountaintop mining regulations.

The federal agencies -- the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Office of Surface Mining, and the Fish and Wildlife Service -- have invited West Virginia citizens, businesses, universities and community groups to comment on issues and concerns they want included in the study. . The State of West Virginia has joined this effort, and other coal states will be invited to participate.

The study will review government policies in order to minimize adverse environmental impacts from large surface mines. Among the topics to be studied are cumulative environmental impacts of mountaintop mining; the viability of reclaimed streams compared to natural waters; the impact that filled valleys have on aquatic life, wildlife and nearby residents; biological and habitat analyses that should be done before mining begins; alternatives to filling valleys and ways to minimize stream filling; and the effectiveness of mitigation and reclamation.

Three public scoping meetings are scheduled in West Virginia: at 6:30 p.m. February 23 at the Nicholas County Veteran’s Memorial Park in Summersville; from 2 to 4 p.m., February 24 in the rotunda of Riggleman Hall, University of Charleston; and at 6:30 p.m. February 25 at the Chief Logan State Park. Other public meetings also may be scheduled in West Virginia and other Appalachian states. Written comments from the public and requests to speak at public meetings should be sent by March 31, 1999 to: William Hoffman, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 3ES30, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103 - 2029. Mr. Hoffman’s telephone number is (215) 814 - 2995. His email address is: hoffman.william@epa.gov.

For updates on this: http://www.epa.gov/region03/lead.htm~