![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Surface Coal Mining Activities under Clean Water Act Section 404
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
This page provides updates and background information regarding Clean Water Act Section 404 and Mining Activities.
Contents
- Recent Actions
- June 11, 2009 Memorandum of Understanding Implementing the Interagency Action Plan on Appalachian Surface Coal Mining
- Enhanced Coordination Procedures under the MOU
- EPA Surface Coal Mining Comment Letters
- Relevant Court Rulings
- Background Information on Mountaintop Mining
- Guidance on Surface Coal Mining Activities
Recent Actions
- October 16, 2009 Spruce No. 1 Surface Mine 404(c) 15 Day Review Letter (PDF) (8 pp, 4.6MB)
- October 16, 2009 Spruce No. 1 Surface Mine 404(c) Questions and Answers (PDF) (4 pp, 76K)
- September 30, 2009 Letter from EPA Assistant Administrator Peter Silva to Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy transmitting final ECP list (PDF) (6 pp, 1.6MB) | Detailed information on the Enhanced Coordination Procedures review
- Science Advisory Board Staff Office Request for Nominations of Experts To Provide Advice on Ecological Impacts Associated With Mountaintop Mining and Valley-Fill Operations (PDF) (2 pp, 47KB)
Memorandum of Understanding Implementing the Interagency Action Plan on Appalachian Surface Coal Mining
- Obama Administration Takes Unprecedented Steps to Reduce Environmental Impacts of Mountaintop Coal Mining, Announces Interagency Action Plan to Implement Reforms (PDF) - News Release (3 pp, 113KB)
- MOU Among the U.S. Department of the Army, U.S. Department of the Interior, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Implementing the Interagency Action Plan on Appalachian Surface Coal Mining (PDF) (6 pp, 90K)
Enhanced Coordination Procedures for Pending Clean Water Act Permit Applications
- The Surface Coal Mining ECP project list contains updated information on individual projects (www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/guidance/mining-projects.html)
- Detailed information on EPA intial list of permits requiring additional review under the MOU enhanced coordination
- September 30, 2009 Letter from EPA Assistant Administrator Peter Silva to Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy transmitting final ECP list (PDF) (6 pp, 1.6MB)
- EPA Releases Preliminary Results for Surface Coal Mining Permit Reviews - News Release, September 11, 2009
- June 11, 2009 EPA Letter to the Department of the Army Regard Key Factual Consideration for Surface Coal Mining Permit Review (PDF) (3 pp, 203K)
- June 11, 2009 Memo to the Field on Enhanced Coordination Procedures for Pending Permits (PDF) - includes list of 108 pending permit applications (12 pp, 3.7MB)
EPA Surface Coal Mining Comment Letters
- Copies of EPA comment letters regarding proposed surface coal mining projects requiring Section 404 permits can be found here (http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/guidance/mining-letters.html)
Relevant Court Rulings
- Fourth Circuit Decision in OHIO VALLEY v. ARACOMA COAL CO. (PDF) (84 pp, 405K) February 13, 2009
Background Information on Mountaintop Mining
- Office of Surface Mining Home Page
- Regulatory Home Page, US Army Corps of Engineers
- Background on Mountaintop Mining, EPA Region 3
- Downstream effects of mountaintop coal mining: comparing biological conditions using family- and genus-level macroinvertebrate bioassessment tools (PDF) (21 pp, 368K) by Gregory J. Pond, Margaret E. Passmore, Frank A. Borsuk, Lou Reynolds, and Carole J. Rose, US EPA.
Guidance on Surface Coal Mining Activities
- Joint Procedures Framework MOU for Surface Coal Mining Permit Applications - February 10, 2005 - The U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have coordinated in the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve coordination and information sharing among the agencies responsible for reviewing and processing Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 dredge and fill permits.
- EPA/Corps Memo on CWA Requirements and Coal Mining Operations (PDF) (5 pp, 179K) - May 5, 2003.
- 1999 Memorandum of Understanding - establishes a process for improving coordination among the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection, in the review of permit applications required for surface coal mining and reclamation operations resulting in the placement of excess spoil fills in the waters of the United States in West Virginia.