Comment on Trump administration touts streamlining of mine permit review

By Ken Ward Jr. In the run-up to President Trump's visit to West Virginia for a rally Thursday evening in Huntington, administration officials - with help from the coal industry and state political leaders - this week touted work by the U.S. Department of Interior to speed up approval of a permit for a new underground coal mine that could bring 200 mining jobs to the depressed coalfields of McDowell County. But the scope of what Interior officials did to ease the way for approval of a permit for the Berwind Mine, an underground operation that Ramaco Resources wants to open along the Virginia border, isn't exactly clear yet. In a press release issued on Monday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke indicated that the department's Fish and Wildlife Service "had a role in approving wildlife conservation plans for two species of crayfish in conjunction with the state of West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection." "This administration is dedicated to streamlining permitting and approval processes, and empowering local employees to get work done on the front lines," Zinke said in the release.