Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition v. Bulen
This lawsuit achieved a landmark victory that significantly reforms the permitting process for mountaintop removal coal mining. On July 8, 2004, U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin in West Virginia ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can no longer allow coal companies to bury mountain streams with mining waste using a “streamlined” general permit process intended only for activities that cause minor environmental damage. As a result of the ruling, the Corps will not be able to approve new permits to fill streams with mining waste until after it conducts more detailed environmental impact studies at each site.
