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UCS Comments to Protect Streams from Coal Waste
In April 2004, UCS joined 15 other environmental and conservation organizations in submitting comments to protect mountain streams from coal mining in response to a proposed change by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM). Under the guise of clarification, OSM proposed to eliminate a 20 year old regulatory clause preventing coal mining companies from burying streams under mining waste. The rule in question, known as the "Stream Buffer Zone" rule, explicitly prevents mining operations "within 100 feet of an intermitten or perennial stream" unless it "will not cause or contribute to the violation of the State or Federal water quality." OSM proposed to alter the rule to require only that mining companies "minimize" the impact "to the extent possible." This change inserts ambiguity and effectively removes one of the few protections citizens have against the damaging effects of the coal industry. The comments submitted by UCS and others highlight these and other problems with the proposed rule change.
Large scale coal mining and the environmental damage that accompanies it largely result from our current dependence on coal for electricity. To learn more about the impacts of coal on the environment, and how switching to renewable energy can alleviate them, see the resources on our Health and Environment and Renewable Energy pages.
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© Union of Concerned Scientists
Page Last Revised: 06/19/08 |
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