On November 23 the Inspector General of the federal Environmental Protection Agency released a report stating that EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers take longer than their statutory goals state to issue coal mining permits inAppalachia.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) requested the report in October 2010. Inhofe asked the IG to look at the status of 237 mining permit applications and the time it took to review each, the reasons for the length of review and the number of permits that fell under EPA’s “enhanced review” and “conductivity” procedures. Army Corps regulations say permits should be completed in 60 to 90 days, but the Corps has an internal goal of 120 days for processing permits, the IG found.
The report reviewed 185 projects over the last year, for which the Corps issued 30 percent of the permits. Of the 56 permits issued, 23 were finished within the 120-day goal. Out of 66 pending applications, 41 have been in process for more than a year. Of the total projects, 75 exceeded two years, though that includes withdrawn permit applications.
The inspector general's office found several reasons for permit review delays, including the complexity of issues and new scientific evidence about the environmental impacts of coal mining. The report also found "involvement by EPA headquarters" to be a reason for permit review lengths.
For a copy of the report contact jbostic@wvcoal.com