It’s back … the Clean Water Protection Act

(Photo by Vivian Stockman, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition)

The Clean Water Protection Act — legislation aimed at ending mountaintop removal coal mining — has been reintroduced, with a record number of sponsors.

The bill,  HR 1310, would amend the Clean Water Act and reinstate a prohibition that prevents mining companeis and other industries from dumping mass amounts of solid industrial wastes (in the case of mountaintop removal, rock and dirt) into streams. More specifically, the bill would overturn a Bush administration rulemaking that changed the definition of “fill” to legalize mountaintop removal valley fills. See previous Gazette coverage of this rule change here, here and here.

Reps. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., Dave Reichert, R-Wash., and John Yarmuth, D-Ky., introduced the legislation Wednesday, along with 114 other members of Congress.

“We are elated that more than 100 members of Congress have signaled a strong commitment to restoring clean water protections to thousands of miles of Appalachian streams, rivers and lakes,” said Jessica Ennis, legislative assistant for Earthjustice.  “This bill adds momentum to the effort to end the destructive practice of mountaintop removal. Almost twice as many members are original co-sponsors of the Protection Act this year compared to the 110th Congress. We believe this shows that stopping the destruction of the nation’s streams, rivers and lakes is a growing priority on the Hill.”

The Alliance for Appalachian has a ton of information about the legislation on its Web site, including a list of co-sponsors. For an alternative view from the coal industry, visit this section of the National Mining Association’s site.

Jeff Biggers has coverage of the bill at Grist and  in the Huffington Post.