Arch Coal sues EPA over permit veto
Arch Coal sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday over the planned veto of a permit for the largest mountaintop coal mine in West Virginia.
The EPA doesn’t have the authority to revoke a Clean Water Act permit once it has been issued, Arch alleges in its federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., according to media reports. Arch received a permit for its Spruce No. 1 mine three years ago.
This is the first time in 37 years the EPA has vetoed such a project, prompting praise from environmentalists.
St. Louis-based Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI), headed by Chairman and CEO Steven Leer, is the second-largest U.S. coal producer with revenue of $2.6 billion in 2009.