Spruce 1 is a proposed coal strip-mining operation approximately two miles northeast of

Blair Blair is a Scots-English-language name of Scottish Gaelic origin. The surname is derived from any of the numerous places in Scotland called ''Blair'', derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''blàr'', meaning "plain", "meadow" or " field", frequently ...

Logan County, West Virginia Logan County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,567. Its county seat is Logan. Logan County comprises the Logan, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cha ...

, in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. First proposed in 1997 by Arch Coal Inc. of St. Louis, the operation was first to cover , then reduced to 2,278. The permitting process was closely monitored by environmental groups and the

mining industry Mining is the extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a la ...

alike with regard to the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

's future mining policy. In 2005, the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

began reviewing the permit application by Hobet Mining, Inc. to construct the mine. The Corps of Engineers issued a permit for it on January 31, 2007, but legal action delayed construction of the mine, and the

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

(EPA) considered revoking the permit.

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

member

Nick Rahall Nicholas Joseph Rahall II ( ; born May 20, 1949) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2015. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States ...

, a Democrat from

West Virginia's 3rd congressional district West Virginia's 3rd congressional district is an obsolete U.S. congressional district in southern West Virginia. At various times the district covered different parts of the state, but in its final form included the state's second-largest city ...

, claimed in a speech preceding a May 2010 public EPA hearing that the EPA's actions would cost West Virginia jobs. At that hearing, testimony came mostly from people supporting the local coal industry. Shawn M. Garvin, Mid-Atlantic regional administration of the EPA, issued a recommendation in October 2010 against constructing Spruce 1 because the mine "would likely have unacceptable adverse effects on wildlife." The EPA revoked the permit on January 13, 2011. On March 23, 2012, federal judge

Amy Berman Jackson Amy Sauber Berman Jackson (born July 22, 1954) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Early life and education Amy Berman was born on ...

overturned the decision by the EPA that revoked a permit for the Spruce 1 mine project. In her ruling, Jackson stated that the EPA did not have power under the

Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the primary respo ...

to rescind the permit. That ruling was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in April 2013, and on September 30, 2014, Berman Jackson ruled in the EPA's favor, allowing its veto of the permit to stand.

References

External links

EPA page about Spruce 1Full text of ''Mingo Logan v. EPA'' court decision
Coal mines in the United States Appalachian Mountains Logan County, West Virginia {{US-mine-stub