Environmental Protection Agency

Introduction

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an organization established by United States with the goal of providing protection to the health of human creature and also safeguards the natural environment. The natural ecosystem includes air, water, and the earth upon which people and other animal depends. Environmental protection agency has various goals to protect the environment and human health. This includes ensuring that all people living in America are given protection from potential risks to human health and the environment where they stay and work. It also ensures that the society's effort to reduce environmental dangers focus on the best available scientific information.

Another objective of environmental protection agency is to ensure that federal laws that offer protection to the health of humanity and the environment are reinforced fairly, and effectively. Therefore, environmental protection agency has the responsibility of ensuring that all people all over the world, particularly the Americans have clean air, clean and safe water, safe food, reduced pollution, reduced global and cross-border environmental risks, and it has to ensure that all the citizens get the necessary information concerning their environment (Silyok, 2001). This is because when environment is well protected, it substantially contributes to making the society and ecosystems diverse, sustainable, and economically productive.

Thesis statement

The Environmental protection agency prohibited a controversial Arch coal inc. Mine in southern West Virginia; a decision that underrates the growing tension between the mining industry and regulators. Environmental protection agency using its power under the federal clean water Act, made a decision of revoking a coal mine permit that had been approved by the Army Corps of engineers in 2007. Therefore, my topic for this assignment is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) controversial decision to forbid a permit for a mountain top coal mining operation in Logan Hills, WV.

The reason that I have chosen this topic is not only because of the economic and environmental issues involved, but also because of the ethical implications that surround this issue, which makes it an excellent topic. What I hope to learn and then effectively communicate to my audience through this essay is more about the EPA's permit process, and perhaps more appealing, the perspectives of both sides of the argument. The position that I'm planning to take on this issue is more towards the side of the EPA, even though I must admit that I am presently biased based on a few of the facts that I already know. The writing and research process will first involve an outline, which will include all of the points that I would like to cover followed by researching those points through various means including but not limited to EBSCO and various search engines.

Environmental Protection Agency's permit process

Permits are used by the environmental protection agency and its state partners to achieve their purpose of environmental protection. A permit is an authority that is provided by the environmental protection agency to give the holder permission to dispose waste into the environment.

Environmental protection agency's point of view

Environmental protection agency submitted a draft plan on hydraulic fracturing for review to the agency's science advisory board. Research shows that natural gas is highly vital in the nations clean energy future, and the hydraulic fracturing process is the utmost means of how to obtain this resource (Collins, 2006). Therefore, scientists under EPA and the direction of congress had the duty to study the practice in details in order to understand better any potential effects it may cause to the natural environment, with the inclusion of groundwater. However, environmental protection agency decided to stop the mining waste discharge to high-quality streams at the Spruce no .1 mountain top removal located in Logan County, West Virginia.

Environmental protection agency's point of view based on various radical environmental and water quality concerns. It had the view that, the proposed mining project would lead to disposed 110 million cubic yards of coal mine waste into streams causing water pollution. The project may also burry more than six miles of high-quality streams in Logan county, west Virginia with tons of mining waste from the dynamiting of more than three thousand, two hundred acres of mountains and forestlands. This burying may lead to permanent damage to ecosystems and streams. For instance, it may lead to the degradation of watershed, which may cause death of wildlife, affect bird life, decrease habitat value, and increasing susceptibility to toxic algal blooms. Therefore, the environmental protection agency made this decision pursuant to its authority under section 404 of federal clean water Act.

The industry has the point of view that its activities will not in any way affect the environment since they have everything under control. Therefore, environmental protection agency's prohibition was viewed as unfair and a problem to their leading in mining in the region. For instance, industry defender the national mining association had the view that the EPAs decision will only weaken the trust United State businesses and workers need to develop investments and secure employment opportunities.

My thoughts and feelings concerning this issue is that, the environmental protection agency made the right decision of prohibiting the mining activity. This is because the mining industry is likely to use destructive and unsustainable mining practices that cause damage to the health of the people in the community and clean water on which they rely on. Environmental protection agency and other parties have worked extremely hard to design mining operations that effectively protect the nation's water, since coal and coal mining are part of the nation's energy. Therefore, we have the duty to protect water from pollution and guard the people who rely on quality water.

Conclusion

Environmental protection agency has the responsibility of ensuring that all people all over the world, particularly the Americans have clean air, clean and safe water, safe food, reduced pollution, reduced global and cross-border environmental risks, and it has to ensure that they create awareness among the citizens on issues concerning the environment.