An important part of any mining operation is its environmental compliance. Stites & Harbison's attorneys have a depth of experience under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and the Clean Water Act and their state counterparts which is unparalleled.
The group's attorneys...
- Regularly defend mining companies against enforcement actions taken by federal and state regulatory agencies
- Assist clients in obtaining environmental permits, permit transfers, waivers and variances for mining and mineral development projects
- Develop comments and participate in legislative and agency rulemaking activities to shape the rights and obligations of mining clients
- Represented a client regarding the permissible reach of limitations on an owner's ability to mine on property protected by the Kentucky Wild Rivers Act
- Work with trade associations to clarify regulatory requirements for access to mined property
- Obtained a federal court injunction against the federal Office of Surface Mining to prevent threatened federal enforcement when an operator was caught in a disagreement between state and federal regulatory agencies
- Challenged numerous agency regulations and rulemakings at the program level, achieving delays in implementation and favorable settlements in several others
- Represented a coal company in its successful effort to obtain a permit to construct and operate the largest coal ash landfill in Kentucky despite a determined permit challenge by citizens
