American Rivers Lauds EPA Decision to Restrict the Practice of Mountaintop Removal Mining

April 2, 2010 | Clean Water, Small Streams & Wetlands

Amy Souers Kober
Senior Director of Communications

American Rivers applauds yesterday’s decision from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the guidelines it issued yesterday that will restrict the practice of mountaintop removal mining.  These much-needed guidelines, which set water quality standards for Clean Water Act permits for mining operations in Appalachian states, will help protect the region’s rivers at their source. 

We have long opposed the practice of mountaintop removal mining for several critical reasons.  It causes irreparable damage to the environment and communities; poses hazards to public health by creating unstable ponds of toxic waste, contaminating drinking water sources and polluting recreational waters with toxins; and it permanently alters the natural topography of mountains leaving landscapes susceptible to flooding while burying headwater waterways vital to ecosystem and community well-being with mining waste. 

The bold action announced yesterday by the EPA is a step in the right direction. Our headwater streams are the sources of life, providing essential clean water for our communities.

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