Reversal of Bush’s Stream Buffer Zone Rule Change Predicted

When investment bank FBR Capital Markets looks into their crystal ball, they don’t see the recent stream buffer zone rule change lasting very long under the incoming Obama administration.

According to Platts, an energy markets blog, research analyst Kevin Book of FBR sees the eleventh-hour regulation by the Bush administration forces action by the Obama administration to “propose and finalize a rule to reverse it.”

However, Book doesn’t pretend that this will be easy, especially as the rule, which hit the federal register last week, cannot be overturned by a simple executive order.

Book noted that “midnight rules,” or those rules issued at the eleventh hour by most outgoing administrations, are difficult and time-consuming to reverse.

At the same time, Book offered caution to investors who might consider this rule as a signal to proceed with investing in mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia.

Tell the Obama administration to repeal the stream buffer zone rule change and end mountain top removal using our online tool.