CHARLESTON – Following is a statement issued today by the West Virginia Coal Association regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the appeal of the 4th Circuit of the United States District Court decision regarding the Spruce Mine case.
“We are disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear the appeal, filed Mingo-Logan Coal Company and signed onto by 27 states’ attorneys general, of this past year’s decision by the U.S. District Court’s 4th Circuit in the Spruce Mine case,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “We believe it is clear that the EPA has far exceeded its authority in its revocation of an existing permit in which the permittee was abiding by the terms of the permit. We continue to believe this was an arbitrary and capricious decision that has destroyed the trust that required for any business dependent on a government-granted permit system to operate.
“We want to thank West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey for his leadership in putting together this coalition of state attorneys general in support of the company’s appeal. He has truly gone the extra mile in defending the jobs of West Virginians. And make no mistake about it, this decision by the EPA with regard to the Spruce Mine has cost the jobs of many, many West Virginian as well as people across the nation.
“While we are disappointed in this decision, we will continue to fight for the jobs and the futures of the people of this state,” Raney said. “We will also focus our efforts on Congress. The House of Representatives has already passed a series of bills that would correct this wrong and restore reliability and predictability to the permit process. However, those bills have been held up by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and this Administration’s allies on Capitol Hill. We believe the Senate must act and we are calling on you to contact your senators and ask them to move the House bills to the floor for a vote. We are certain that if the package is given a floor vote it will pass by a resounding margin.”