Gov. Joe Manchin went to Washington, DC., to meet with senior White House environmental officials Wednesday to discuss coal industry concerns after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency blocked some mountaintop mining permits in West Virginia and Kentucky.

And while environmentalists were hailing the EPA’s action as a sea change in federal policy toward the controversial mining practice, two members of the state’s congressional delegation downplayed the concerns.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller said some people are overreacting by thinking the EPA is clamping down on coal mining in West Virginia.

“Let me make very clear – America has over a 200-year history of mining West Virginia coal, and that is not going to change any time soon,” Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said.

“Coal is an incredibly valuable resource and any alarmist reports suggesting that the EPA’s recent letters are the end of coal mining are inaccurate and unhelpful.”

Congressman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., also stated the EPA’s position has been distorted. Rahall said the EPA was “simply reasserting its longstanding legal authority under the Clean Water Act, in the same way that it did for many years without detriment to the coal industry.”

Coal industry officials have expressed concern that the move is a sign the EPA under the Obama administration intends to crack down on mountaintop mining operations because of harm to streams and wetlands.

“I told them we are looking for a balance between the environment and the economy, and they assured me that they will work with us to find that balance,” Manchin said.

“With a new administration comes new policies, and they will have to evaluate past policies to determine where they can make improvements. We need to give them the opportunity to sit at the table with us and find common ground.”

Initial reports said the EPA put 200 or so permits on hold, but the agency released a statement clarifying its action.

EPA spokeswoman Adora Ady said Wednesday the EPA was not “halting, holding or placing a moratorium on any of the mining permit applications. Plain and simple.”

Rather, the EPA is reviewing the applications for new or expanded surface mines, many of which are mountaintop removal operations, pending before the federal government.

Manchin said the EPA wanted to look more closely at two particular mining permits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had planned to issue in West Virginia and one in Kentucky.

The governor said the state Department of Environmental Protection would bring together EPA officials and the mining companies seeking the permits in question.

Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said he applauded Manchin for stepping in to assess the situation.

Roberts said it appears the state is under attack by anti-coal entities.

“The Chamber supports responsible, balanced development of the state’s natural resources,” Roberts said. “However, not everyone shares this viewpoint. There are radical forces at work that want to undermine or destroy the state’s energy and construction industries.

“West Virginia is among a number of key states that provide our nation’s domestic energy supply, and our nation can ill afford to see an anti-carbon agenda prevail.”

Roberts said the mining industry was concerned the EPA’s review process would slow or stop the Corps of Engineers from issuing lawful permits. The corps issues federal Clean Water Act permits for proposed surface coal mining operations that impact streams and wetlands.

In letters sent to the corps’ office in Huntington, the EPA said the companies seeking the permits haven’t done enough to avoid and minimize damage to water quality and stream channels.

The letters address mining permits sought by subsidiaries of Richmond, Va.-based Massey Energy Co. and St. Louis-based Patriot Coal Co. for West Virginia, and Lexington, Ky.-based Rhino Resources for a mine in eastern Kentucky.

Rockefeller said one of the letters sent from the EPA to the corps focused solely on a single permit application in Ethel.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said in a prepared statement, “I have long advocated responsible mining practices in West Virginia. The future of coal mining depends on striking a balance between environmental conservation, our nation’s economic and energy needs, and the health of the people who live in and around the areas where mining occurs. And I truly believe that is possible to achieve.

Marshall University is developing a virtual world to help train coal miners how to survive a disaster.

Retired quantum chemist Jack Smith is using 14 cameras to create 3-D images of moving bodies for a simulated training exercise.

The images will be installed into a virtual world that mimics the inside of a coal mine.

Organic Motion President Jonathan Rand said his company’s technology is cheaper and easier to use than a widely used marker system that uses black suits and Ping-Pong balls attached to every joint.

That system costs about $1 million, compared to about $100,000 for the markerless system.

The simulated training is funded by a $4 million economic development grant. Marshall plans a public unveiling in June.

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