US judge strikes down EPA water rules for mines - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

US judge strikes down EPA water rules for mines

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CHARLESTON -

A federal judge says the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its powers by setting up water-quality criteria for coal mining operations in Appalachia.

Judge Reggie Walton ruled in a lawsuit filed by a coal mining industry coalition against the EPA and Administrator Lisa Jackson. The judge said the EPA infringed on the authority given to state regulators by federal clean water and surface mining acts.

Last year the EPA revised standards issued in April 2010 by tightening guidelines on the practice of dumping waste from surface mine blasting into Appalachian valley waterways.

The National Mining Association, one of the plaintiffs, denounced the guidelines as a "jobs destroyer" and hailed Judge Walton's decision.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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