A tussle has already begun within the Obama administration over its environmental policy regarding coal mining. Throughout the Appalachian states of Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, mountaintop mining—a controversial method of extracting coal by scalping off the tops of hills—has been used increasingly by industry, and with the blessing of the Army Corps of Engineers, which grants permits for such projects. During the Bush administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stood aside and allowed the Corps to approve mountaintop mining projects, even though the process can pollute or wipe out vital streams and tributaries. As of last week, however, the EPA under President Obama pledged to become more involved in mountaintop mining decisions—a move environmentalists assumed meant the Corps would have to slow down its permitting.