Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handed down a decisive victory for coal miners and mining in the case National Mining Association v. Jackson:

“This is a major victory for coal miners and mining.  As I’ve said in the past, and the court ruled today, the EPA was overstepping its statutory authority under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA).  The EPA’s conductivity guidance was unscientific and harmful to mining.  I’m glad to see that it’s unlawful.  Like so many other permits issued under the CWA, these conductivity requirements were reckless regulations that served only as a threat to businesses in the Ninth District.  The EPA should abandon its war on coal and redirect its energies to looking at scientific data that might lead to solving real problems for people living near mines.  It’s my hope that more victories like the one we had today will continue to get the EPA off our backs.”

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