Bush Publishes Changes to Mountaintop Removal Rule

[babylonsister]

Bush Publishes Changes to Mountaintop Removal Rule
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies against buffer zone changes at congressional hearing

by Ken Ward Jr.


CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Bush administration today will publish its final rule to revoke key water quality protections, a move that critics say helps to protect mountaintop removal coal mining from tougher restrictions.

The changes approved by the U.S. Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement are scheduled for publication in today's Federal Register.

Last week, the White House and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency paved the way for the OSM to finalize its more than five-year effort to rewrite the 1983 stream "buffer zone" rule.

Issuance of the final rule today easily meets a Dec. 19 deadline, allowing the rule to take effect before President-elect Barack Obama takes office Jan. 20, and making it harder for Obama to revoke the rule if he chooses to do so.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/12-1

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. "I enacted them for 39 days! I call Legacy!"--Chimp

[babylonsister]

2. That pic-neanderthal! nt