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Court Rules EPA Restrictions On Miners Not Legal

The 10th Ohio District Court of Appeals has dismissed certain restrictions placed on coal miners operating in wetlands, ruling they are not based in law. 

Oxford Mining Company approached the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in 2011 about proposed mining projects in eastern Ohio that would affect wetlands. The agency gave the company a permit with some restrictions. The company had to agree to stop activities if it encountered certain endangered or threatened species, avoid one specific wetland completely and build only a temporary road through another.  Some restrictions were lifted when Oxford appealed to the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission. The court ruled none of the agency's restrictions on the mining company were based in law.