Yesterday the EPA announced that they would be placing restrictions on the damange to streams and Appalachian watershed due to mountaintop removal and other practices.
From the EPA’s press release:
To protect water quality, EPA has identified a range of conductivity (a measure of the level of salt in the water) of 300 to 500 microSiemens per centimeter. The maximum benchmark conductivity of 500 microSiemens per centimeter is a measure of salinity that is roughly five times above normal levels. The conductivity levels identified in the clarifying guidance are intended to protect 95 percent of aquatic life and fresh water streams in central Appalachia.
“The people of Appalachia shouldn’t have to choose between a clean, healthy environment in which to raise their families and the jobs they need to support them. That’s why EPA is providing even greater clarity on the direction the agency is taking to confront pollution from mountain top removal,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We will continue to work with all stakeholders to find a way forward that follows the science and the law. Getting this right is important to Americans who rely on affordable coal to power homes and businesses, as well as coal communities that count on jobs and a livable environment, both during mining and after coal companies move to other sites.”
This is not a ban on Mountain Top Removal, but would, to my understanding, restrict mountaintop removal coal mining severely.
“Minimizing the number of valley fills is a very, very key factor,” Jackson said. “You’re talking about no, or very few, valley fills that are going to meet this standard.”
Full audio of the briefing can be heard on Coal Tattoo which has a more in depth analysis.
More information can be found on by Jeff Biggers (author and presenter at CCAN’s Artist for the Climate) here and from our coalition partner Appalachian Voices here.
