| The Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia is a national treasure. “The Mon” boasts some of the continent’s southernmost cranberry bogs and red spruce forests, as well as numerous rare species and headwater streams. These headwaters form the Potomac and Ohio rivers and provide drinking water for about 31 million people. Congress has prohibited coal mining activity in national forests, with very few exceptions. But now, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is disregarding the rules and allowing the coal industry to roll over the Mon. |
| Last year, South Fork Coal Company went bankrupt and idled its 3,600-acre mining complex on the South Fork of Cherry River in Greenbrier County. That complex included a haul road through the Mon that regulators allowed to operate unlawfully. Now, two new coal companies — Clearco and Aurevo — are trying to take over this mining complex and resume operations within and adjacent to the national forest.Alarmingly, the DEP has granted “advanced approval” that allows these companies to begin operating before receiving proper permits. The mining complex already has a long history of releasing heavy metals and sediment into waterways, polluting vital habitat for wildlife like the endangered candy darter Tell the DEP: Don’t let coal companies harm the Mon! |
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