Acting EPA Regional Administrator William Early said in a letter Friday the agency is prepared to use its veto power for the first time because of serious concerns the permit may violate the Clean Water Act.
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller called it "wrong and unfair" to change the rules for a permit that already was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The permit was issued in 2007 for Mingo Logan Coal's Spruce No. 1 mine. It would allow the company to fill valleys at the site with material removed to expose coal, a practice widely opposed by environmentalists.
The mine is owned by St. Louis-based Arch Coal Inc.
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EPA: http://www.epa.gov/
Arch Coal Inc.: http://www.archcoal.com/
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