While the draft Stream Protection Rule is far from perfect, it is a long overdue update to protections for surface and groundwater from mountaintop removal coal mining. Not surprisingly, the coal industry had relied on “war on coal” talking points to fight against the rule, and claims these protections are unnecessary and will undermine an otherwise viable industry. Let’s examine those claims.
Local communities and an endangered bat species are threatened by two proposed mountaintop removal coal mines in West Virginia.
Community members voiced their opinions and concerns at public hearings about Stream Protection Rule that were held in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.
Appalachian Voices is working with partner groups to help local communities speak out in favor of stronger regulations protecting their streams and people from mountaintop coal removal.
To comply with a federal court ruling, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement restored an earlier version of a rule meant to protect water quality and stream channels from coal mining waste.
Today, Appalachian Voices’ Director of Programs, Dr. Matt Wasson, is testifying before the Congressional Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. Follow us on Twitter! The hearing begins at 10 a.m. EST, and you can view the hearing homepage and watch…
