Facebook Twitter Email
FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2002

The Bush administration is moving to stop a federal judge's ruling from impacting the mining industry.

U.S. District Judge Charles H. Haden II in West Virginia on Wednesday ordered the federal government to stop allowing mining companies to dump waste materials in waterways. He said the practice clearly violated the Clean Water Act.

Additionally, he blasted the Bush administration for promulgating regulations to "legalize" the practice. His words brought criticism from the Department of Justice, which charged he overstepped his authority and would seek a stay of the order.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers last week issued rules to allow rock and dirt, byproducts of mountaintop mining, to be dumped in streams and rivers.

Get the Story:
Ruling on Dumping of Mine Waste Stuns Coal Industry (The Washington Post 5/10)

Related Stories:
Proposal allows dumping in waters (4/26)