Dec. 19, 2016 UPDATE: Citizens Coal Council's statement on the final Stream Protection Rule
Canonsburg PA - Today the Department of Interior released the final Stream Protection Rule. In response, Citizens Coal Council's Executive Director Aimee Erickson released the following statement:
Citizens Coal Council supports efforts to protect our streams from the devastating-- and often permanent-- impacts of coal mining. Clean water is essential to the health and stability of our communities, as well as to thriving ecosystems.
Because of outdated regulations and seriously inadequate state-level enforcement, our water supplies in coal mining states have been under serious threat. In states with longwall mining, for example, many streams have been damaged, dewatered, and destroyed by mining companies.
This Stream Protection Rule will establish long-overdue measures to hold mining companies accountable and give state regulators much-needed stringent guidelines to follow in their enforcement. We commend the Department of Interior and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement for taking steps toward protecting our water supplies."
You can download a full copy of Citizens Coal Council's statement here.
what is the stream protection rule?
The Stream Protection Rule (SPR), according to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), is "a new rule for regulation of coal mining to take advantage of new advances in science, and to improve the balance between environmental protection and providing for the Nation's need for coal as a source of energy." (source)
why do we need a stream protection rule?
Right now, there is little in the way of a regulatory framework that directly addresses problems created by water pollution and other damage to water supplies caused by coal mining. This left many streams vulnerable to damage-- frequently permanent-- from coal mining. The OSMRE recognized what many citizens directly impacted by these problems have known for years, and have "proposed revisions [to] update our regulations to incorporate or reflect the best available science and experience gained over the last 30 years". (source)
What are the updates to the regulations?
The new regulations have incorporated a critical piece of language that in many cases closes a major loophole that has been exploited by the coal industry for years. This language provides a concrete definition for "material damage to the hydrologic balance", a concept that had been previously left up to interpretation, typically in favor of the coal industry.
In addition, "the proposed rule would also adjust monitoring requirements to enable timely detection and correction of any adverse trends in the quality or quantity of surface water and groundwater or the biological condition of streams." (source)
In addition, "the proposed rule would also adjust monitoring requirements to enable timely detection and correction of any adverse trends in the quality or quantity of surface water and groundwater or the biological condition of streams." (source)