Opinion ID: 2968391
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: all existing operations;

Text: (c) any operation for which a permit application has been submitted to the Commissioner; and (d) all operations required to meet diligent development requirements for leased Federal coal for which there is actual mine development information available. (J.A. at 123.) OHIO RIVER VALLEY v. KEMPTHORNE 5 or ranges as predetermined by the [West Virginia] Department [of Energy], they constitute material damage.4 (J.A. at 123.) The Secretary approved the amendments in a final rule which noted that [a]lthough the Federal regulations do not specifically define cumulative impact, the Federal requirements at 30 C.F.R. §§ 780.21(g) and 784.14(f) contain provisions regarding the cumulative impact of mining on the hydrologic balance which form the basis for the State’s definition. See West Virginia; Permanent Regulatory Program, 55 Fed. Reg. 21,304, 21,308 (May 23, 1990). On May 2, 2001, West Virginia submitted a state program amendment to OSM that deleted the cumulative impact definition and added a provision defining material damage as any long term or permanent change in the hydrologic balance caused by surface mining operation(s) which has a significant adverse impact on the capability of the affected water resource(s) to support existing conditions and uses. See 66 Fed. Reg. 28,682, 28,683 (May 24, 2001). The proposed material damage definition left significant adverse impact undefined and lacked any indication of how the regulatory authority proposed to measure such an impact or determine when it would occur. OSM responded by filing a notice of the proposed rule and opportunity for public comment in the Federal Register on May 21, 2004. The agency received comments from interested parties and other federal agencies. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recommended that OSM deny the proposed changes. The agency’s opposition to the deletion of the cumulative impact provision stemmed from its ongoing concern for the potential of cumulative impacts from individual mountaintop mining operations to impair the ecological functioning of entire watersheds and the resulting belief that the law should address this very important issue more thoroughly rather than with less scrutiny. (J.A. at 162-63). It considered the material damage definition inadequate because it left the terms long term and significant adverse impact undefined and therefore open to individual interpretation and because it effectively eliminated the consideration of short-term impacts without regard for 4 In April 2001, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection became the regulatory authority for surface coal mining in West Virginia. See 30 C.F.R. § 948.10 (2006). 6 OHIO RIVER VALLEY v. KEMPTHORNE their magnitude. (J.A. at 162-63.) EPA also expressed concern and recommended that the cumulative impact definition not be deleted and the material damage definition be expanded to include violation of water quality standards. (J.A. at 182.) Despite its concerns, EPA did grant its concurrence of the proposed amendment, with the understanding that its implementation must comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA) and its implementing regulations. OSM then requested additional clarification from West Virginia addressing the agencies’ concerns, which the State provided. Upon receipt of the State’s clarification letter, EPA reaffirmed its concurrence with the proposed amendment. The Secretary reopened the comment period to provide the public an opportunity to review and comment on the State’s clarification. West Virginia Regulatory Program, 68 Fed. Reg. 44,910 (July 31, 2003). The Secretary issued a final rule on December 1, 2003, approving the amendments to West Virginia’s program. West Virginia Regulatory Program, 68 Fed. Reg. 67,035, 67,043 (December 1, 2003) (to be codified at 30 C.F.R. pt. 948).