What George Bush Gave Charlie Wilson for Christmas:Mining Near Streams

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What George Bush Gave Charlie Wilson for Christmas:Mining Near Streams
By Dennis Spisak - Dec 7th, 2008 at 9:50 pm EST 

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Category: Environment and Conservation
By Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, December 4, 2008. "Ignoring its own scientific study, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday that dumping debris from coal mining into mountain streams doesn't conflict with the Clean Water Act -- a reversal that clears the way for a new Bush administration rule that critics call a gift to mining interests. In its waning days, the administration is rushing to approve scores of rule changes to leave its stamp on government... The new rule would make it easier for mining companies to dispose leftover rock and dirt near or on top of streams. EPA approval was needed before the Department of the Interior, under Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, could finalize the rule before Bush leaves office next month. Why EPA changed its stance remains a mystery. The agency declined to explain beyond releasing a letter [PDF] from Administrator Stephen Johnson to Kempthorne asserting that 'nothing in the regulation is inconsistent with the provisions of the Clean Water Act'... 'With this about-face, the Bush administration has hammered one more nail into the coffin of a lot of these Appalachian communities,' said Vernon Haltom, a co-director of Coal River Mountain Watch, a West Virginia-based environmental group. 'The water here is already polluted, homes are threatened by flooding and we have regulatory agencies that look the other way and pretend we don't exist.'"