Michael Levy writes:
"Of course the industry is going to resent and resist any new regulation. It is the most predictable response in the world.
Corporations exist for a single purpose : to maximize profits. Not just to make money, but to maximize how much they make.
It turns out Arch Coal had an alternate plan from the engineering firm Morgan Worldwide that would have reduced the amount of stream buried by Spruce No. 1 by more than half. But it would have increased costs by 1 percent of the final sale price of the coal, so they buried it.
The EPA, rightly in revoking the permit, cited Arch Coal's "failure to adequately evaluate less environmentally damaging alternatives."
But that should surprise no one. Arch Coal is from St. Louis. The destruction of Appalachian watersheds and communities means nothing to them. Only their bottom line matters and that's exactly why strong regulation is necessary.
Regulation, brought about via the democratic process, is one of the primary tools the public has at its disposal to protect itself against the interests of the powerful - those who seek to exploit us and our land base to enrich themselves.
They have the power in the market.
We can take power through policy. But to do that we have to see clearly who's on whose side.
The coal industry gave $4 million to political candidates in the 2010 election cycle, and they've spent over $63 million on lobbying in the last five years.
Manchin is in their pocket and so is Tomblin. It's time we find out who's really there for us, who will stand up for our mountains, our health, our communities and support them and give everyone else the boot. "
Complete editorial article at: http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/epa-was-right-to-revoke-mountaintop-remov...