Appeals court upholds Trump move to drop mine pollution rule

Associated Press ^ | July 19, 2019 | Matthew Brown

[Olog-hai]

A U.S. appeals court panel sided with the Trump administration Friday in a mining pollution dispute, ruling that state and federal programs already in place ensure that companies take financial responsibility for future cleanups.

The ruling came after the administration was sued by environmental groups for dropping an Obama-era proposal that would have forced companies to put up money to show they have resources to clean up pollution.

The mining industry has a legacy of bankrupt companies abandoning polluted sites and leaving taxpayers to cover cleanup costs.

But the three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it was “unpersuaded” by the environmentalists’ arguments that the Trump administration relied on a faulty economic analysis in making its decision. […]

The case began after Environmental Protection Agency said in December 2017 that stricter regulations and modern mining practices have reduced the risks of pollution going unaddressed.

Under former President Barack Obama, the agency determined the opposite, saying mining pollution remains an ongoing concern. …

[Nifster]

Boom

[DakotaGator]

From the article: "But the three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it was “unpersuaded” by the environmentalists’ arguments that the Trump administration relied on a faulty economic analysis in making its decision."

More to the point, rules are not laws. Though they have the force of law, they can be changed by any administration. Democrats have used "rules" to endlessly trample the country. President Trump and his administration is actually reversing some of these Democrat abuses of government processes.

However, noting ensures a rule such as this cannot be reimposed by a future liberal administration. The more effective solution would be to eliminate all unconstitutional departments of the Executive Branch and the rule making authority they tyrannize us with.

President Trump is doing the possible today vice never doing the impossible.

[Lurker]

“The more effective solution would be to eliminate all unconstitutional departments of the Executive Branch and the rule making authority they tyrannize us with.”

Indeed it would.

L

[VeniVidiVici]

The mining industry has a legacy of bankrupt companies abandoning polluted sites and leaving taxpayers to cover cleanup costs.

Sort of like unions abandoning their member pensions and leaving it to the taxpayers to cover the cleanup costs.

[HighSierra5]

Like the EPA did a good job on the Animas river in Colorado? We will need to mine rare earth minerals and we don’t need a commie agency running interference against national security.

[ByteMercenary]

Not too sure I agree with this one ... requiring the showing of fiscal ability to pay for shutdown opertations is not a bad thing.

Of course it sounds like ‘the bank will only lend you money if you can show that you don’t need it’

[Olog-hai]

So since when is the EPA a bank?

[Lurker51]

Not a fan of bureaucratic “rulemaking” vs laws, but I don’t like being on the hook for environmental remediation of problems created by privite enterprise either... I mean... unless they want to cut me in on some of the profits.