Blair Mountain Battle Continues

• {West Virginia}...Several groups that couldn't convince state regulators to declare Logan County's Blair Mountain unsuitable for mining are taking their case to Kanawha County Circuit Court. In a complaint filed Thursday, the Sierra Club, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Friends of Blair Mountain, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, West Virginia Labor History Association and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy asked the court to force the Department of Environmental Protection to accept their June petition and hold a hearing. The DEP declared the petition "frivolous" in July, saying it raised arguments that were reviewed and rejected 20 years ago. Bill Price of the Sierra Club says the DEP can't just skip the public hearing because it's more convenient for them to do so because Blair Mountain belongs to all West Virginians, and all West Virginians have a right to weigh in." The fate of the mountain is also being played out in federal court, with several groups aiming to have it returned to the National Register of Historic Places. It was briefly listed, then removed when property owners objected.