Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, made the following statement regarding EPA’s decision to retroactively deny the Clean Water Act permit for Spruce Mine #1 in West Virginia:
“Today’s announcement by the EPA on Spruce Mine #1’s Clean Water Act permit sends a very unsettling message to American businesses. EPA’s unprecedented action to retroactively deny a permit changes the rules not just in the middle of the game, but at the end of it. This is exactly the kind of practice that will keep capital on the sidelines and slow our economic recovery. The negative impact of this decision will be felt not only by West Virginians and the energy industry but across all sectors of our economy.”