Commentary: Health Action New Mexico is applauding the Obama administration’s action today to finalize the Stream Protection Rule. Since 2009, the Department of Interior has been working to revise inadequate regulations developed in the 1980’s that govern impacts to waterways from coal mining.
“The Stream Protection Rule is a common sense step to protect our nation’s streams and waterways from coal pollution that can harm the health and livelihood of local communities, farmers, and recreation,” said Barbara Webber, Executive Director of Health Action New Mexico. “This update is a long overdue step to ensure that regulation is keeping up with the best available science and new coal mining technology.”
In particular, this rule strengthens the requirements for testing water quality to ensure coal mines aren’t polluting streams and waterways both while they are operating and after mining has occurred. These requirements improve on the status quo and help to make sure that active and shut-down coal mines won’t pollute our streams like what occurred in the Gold King Mine Spill that was disastrous for Northwest New Mexico in 2015.
The rule would also require coal mines to have a plan for how to protect fish and wildlife from coal mining, reducing the impacts on habitat and improving the reclamation of mines once development has ended.
Overall, the rule takes commonsense steps to protect the public and wildlife from damaging coal mine pollution, all for very little cost. Independent analysis has shown that the rule would cost between $.01 and $.60 per ton of coal and will not have a significant impact on jobs.
Health Action New Mexico applauds the Department of Interior for finishing this long overdue update that will protect public health and our nation’s streams and waterways.