Mining; Find Protecting Environment Good for Economy (click here)
posted by Nell in Global Finance on October 24th, 2008
The first nationwide poll to test voters’ opinions on mountain top removal mining is clear; voters in every region of the country are against mountaintop removal mining (MTR).
Upon hearing that “more than 1,200 miles of streams in Appalachia already have been buried or destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining,” fully 85% of voters say they are concerned about the effects of MTR.
In addition, the poll clearly shows that two-thirds of American voters oppose the Bush administration’s recent efforts to repeal the Stream Buffer Zone Rule. The Stream Buffer Zone rule prohibits coal mining within 100 feet of permanent and seasonal streams. The repeal of the buffer zone would allow the proliferation of MTR by legalizing the process of mining near streams, and would subsequently result in burying our nation’s streams under mining waste.
Debunking the age-old division between protecting the environment and securing jobs, the poll showed that voters believe environmental protections are good for the economy by more than a 2:1 margin. A plurality (47%) believe environmental protections are good for the economy and another 23% believe such protections have no impact on the economy.
Memo detaining the survey findings http://www.earthjustice.org/library/references/memo-on-mtr-poll.pdf (PDF)...
EPA to review coal-mining permits (click title to entry - thank you)
The agency puts hundreds of mountaintop mining requests on hold so it can study impacts of dumping debris into waterways.
Associated Press
March 25, 2009
Washington -- The Environmental Protection Agency put hundreds of mountaintop coal-mining permits on hold Tuesday to evaluate the projects' impact on streams and wetlands.
The decision by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson targets a controversial practice that allows coal mining companies to dump waste from mountaintop mining into streams and wetlands.
Between 150 and 200 applications for new or expanded surface coal mines, many of them mountaintop removal operations, are pending before the federal government. EPA spokeswoman Adora Andy said the agency did not expect problems with the overwhelming majority of permits.
The permits are issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, which has been criticized by environmental groups and has been sued on allegations of failing to thoroughly evaluate the environmental impact of mountaintop removal....
