By the Associated Press
The Obama administration’s handling of mining-related permits has prompted West Virginia’s House of Delegates to form a new committee to study and monitor the situation.
Delegate Roy Givens, a Brooke County Democrat, will chair the five-member panel.
Among other actions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently held up dozens of permits in West Virginia and three other states for additional scrutiny.
Most involve the mountaintop removal method of mining, which accounts for a fourth of the state’s coal production.
That has the industry in an uproar, and House Speaker Rick Thompson said he shares its concerns.
