Alongside member groups Powder River Basin Resource Council, Northern Plains Resource Council, and Dakota Resource Council, WORC submitted substantive written comments today on the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s proposed Stream Protection Rule.
For too long, coal mines have been able to ravage arid landscapes and watersheds in the West with little-to-no consequences. That is not what the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) intended. With lack of clarity in the rules as well as lagging enforcement, coal mining companies have repeatedly damaged surface and groundwaters, which are vital and necessary for meeting the future water needs of our communities in the West.
The Stream Protection Rule is the first major revision of regulations that govern coal permitting and mining since the passage of SMCRA. The draft Rule promises new protections for farmers, ranchers, and other coalfield residents reliant on scarce water supplies of the arid Western United States. Our organizations have repeatedly called for some of the same proposed policies during the past years and decades, including in WORC’s recently released report, “Undermined Promise II.” The report evaluates the progress of compliance under SMCRA 38 years after its passage, with special focus on the evaluation of mine-site hydrology. Download the report, fact-sheets, and appendices at www.underminedpromise.org.