US changes position on mountaintop mining

Enviromine

US President Barack Obama. Photo: Bloomberg.

Publishing Date: 05 May 2009 12:11pm GMT
Author: Mining, People and the Environment

Legal and Legislation

After its first 100 days the administration of US President Barack Obama is wringing the changes environmentally, including initiating moves to reverse a rule by the former administration that allows mountaintop coal mines to dump waste into streams if it is found to be the cheapest and most convenient disposal option.

“The so-called ‘stream buffer zone rule’ simply doesn’t pass muster with respect to adequately protecting water quality and stream habitat(s),” Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior announced.

Mr Salazar said the government would seek for the rule to be overturned by US courts, and a return to pre-existing regulations on the mountaintop mining practice.

But environmental law firm Earthjustice said the administration was still not doing enough to protect the environment.

“Unless this announcement is accompanied by a firm commitment to enforce the law as it applies to mountaintop removal and valley fills, it’s meaningless,” said Joan Mulhern, senior legislative counsel for Earthjustice.

The practice of mountaintop mining has come under heavy scrutiny since the Environmental Protection Agency raised serious concerns about its impact on streams and waterways.