Head of Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water forced out of office by Governor and mounting pressure from coal industry

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com) According to an email obtained by The Huffington Post, Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) has given in to the demands of the coal industry and forced the head of a key division of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to step down.

George Elmaraghy has dutifully served the Ohio EPA for more than 30 years. He first took over as head of the Division of Surface Water, which oversees many of the permits required by coal companies, in 2005.

The email, which Elmaraghy addressed to the EPA, tells of "considerable pressure from the coal companies over the last year" demanding that his staff "accommodate the industry's needs by issuing permits that may have a negative impact on Ohio's streams and wetlands and violate state and federal laws." The email goes on to state that the governor and the agency's director, responding to the mounting pressure, asked him to resign effective September 13, 2013.

"George wouldn't say he was asked to resign because of their history with the coal companies unless that was absolutely the case," said Jed Thorp, who worked at the OEPA from 2007 to 2012. "He wasn't doing anything radical," Thorp said.

"Ohio EPA will not discuss personnel matters, but we will defend the integrity of the permitting process," an OEPA spokesman said in an email. "There are several checks and balances built into the regulatory process. Permits we issue must withstand scrutiny not only from U.S. EPA, but must stand up on appeal to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission and other courts. Those third parties ultimately determine if any action under appeal was issued lawfully and reasonably."