Here's a new question to ponder: 'Is a permit a permit today?'

摘要

Folks have asked, recently: "When is a contract a contract?" During Alpha Natural Resources' first quarter earnings call, CEO Mike Quillen proposed a new question: "Is a permit a permit today?" The reference, of course, was to the EPA's meat-handed actions in reviewing surface mine refuse disposals already issued by the Army Corps of Engineers. And no, Mike didn't refer to those actions as "meat-handed." That one's on me, and heaven help if I have a septic tank problem at home, or whatever. It could get ugly with the EPA police.