Although it was left as
unfinished business in the House of Representatives on July 28, H.R. 2584
is no doubt far from dead, and its implications are that people across the
country will begin to feel the sting of industrial contamination and pollution
with renewed vigor. They will also potentially be loosing national treasures
because of funding reductions, prohibitions on actions or reassignment of
decision-making authority to states.
For example, one amendment seeks to
reduce the money available to the Bureau of Land Management for processing
drilling permits. Language in the bill under Section 431, effectively
eliminates EPA oversight of green house gas emissions by stationary sources
such as coal-fired power plants. Wording under Section 432 prevents the Office
of Surface Mining from updating the stream buffer rule for mining operations
that remove mountain tops. The rule required a 100 foot buffer between mining
operations and streams, but the Bush administration granted exemptions to the
rule for waste dumps, according to this New York Times article.
The new language would eliminate any new rule making regarding streams and
mining. It also removes implementation and enforcement of two other issues
related to mountain top removal mining. According to the 2010 Austin Environmental Directory
there are more than 500 mountain peaks that have already been leveled, or are
being leveled by as much as 500 to 1,000 feet, and by the end of 2010 mountain
top removal mines were anticipated to cover 800 square miles.
Section 434 blocks regulation of coal
ash, while Section 435 stops any changes to the Clean Water Act. Under Section
441, Texas, and any other state, can operate a flexible air permitting program
without EPA approval, according to this ecial_Interest_List_Interior_Appropriations.pdf">list
of legislative riders attached to the bill. Section 443 would allow oil
companies to simply comply with the Clean Air Act anywhere except a single
onshore area; reduces the time exploration platforms and drill ships are
considered to be sources of emissions; eliminates the possibility of using a
permitting program to control emissions of surface vessels related to oil and
gas activities; and makes it more expensive and time consuming for citizens to
challenge government actions.
Among other efforts to cloak the dangers
of industrial substances, Section 444 prohibits the EPA from releasing its
findings on the cancer-causing characteristics of inorganic arsenic until the
National Academy of Sciences completes its study. Section 447 prevents the EPA
from releasing opinions on pesticides and the Endangered Species Act, and
Section 448 eliminates funding needed to implement Clean Air Act regulations on
the manufacture of Portland cement.
When it comes to uranium mining near the
Grand Canyon, previously written about here,
Section 445 prevents the Interior Department from withdrawing any lands from
new uranium mining permits.
Other sections block enforcement of water
quality standards in Florida, block 2016 green house gas standards for autos,
block regulations on particulate matter, block hard rock mining regulations,
block guidelines from being issued on misleading information on pesticide
labels, block clean air rules for power plants and allow companies engaged in
the manufacture of insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides to release those
substances into waterways without permits.
To get a first hand look at the attempted
dismantling of protections from toxic substances, the allowances of air, land
and water contamination to continue at increased levels and the dwindling
protection of public lands, read all about it here,
and in one of many recent articles here.
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