A federal appeals court is declining to stand in the way of the
Obama administration's efforts to block water pollution from mountaintop
removal coal mining.
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
It concluded that the Environmental Protection Agency was within
its authority to consult with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about Clean
Water Act permits for mining operations.
The panel rejected a 2012 District Court ruling that that the
EPA had overstepped its authority under federal water pollution and strip
mining laws when the agency tried to reduce water pollution from Appalachian
coal mining operations.
