EPA Petitioned to Revoke West Virgina's Clean Water Authority

CHARLESTON, West Virgina, June 22, 2009 (ENS) - West Virgina officials have failed to abide by the federal Clean Water Act, instead deferring to the industries they are supposed to regulate, a coalition of environmental groups claims in a formal petition asking the federal government to take back control of discharge permitting and enforcement from the state.

The Sierra Club, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Coal River Mountain Watch, and Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition want the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin formal proceedings to withdraw approval of state's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, NPDES, program, which they say is "grossly deficient."

"The State's capitulation to the industries it is obligated to regulate under the Clean Water Act and its resulting failure to enforce or maintain its NPDES program leave EPA no choice but to withdraw its approval of that program," the groups say in their petition, filed June 17.

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