How Bush Tweaks Environmental Laws with Harm to Bird Habitats
Court rulings have consistently prohibited the dumping of coal mining waste into streams and other waterways. But pressed by the coal industry the Bush Administration is circumventing these rulings by a simple reclassification of the debris that is taken from mines. The debris is now called “fill,” which is acceptable for dumping into streams whereas waste is prohibited.
The new classification permits mining companies to resume “mountaintop” flattening techniques which destroy acres of forests that are home to dozens of bird species. Mining firms take off the top of mountains to get to coal seams and dump the waste into rivers and streams. This method is far less expensive than digging shafts and excavating the coal from the mountain.
It is estimated that more than 700 miles of mountain streams have been buried by fill deposits in recent years. In addition, the pollution, including iron and sulfur compounds from this fill, often filters downstream threatening the habitats of birds and other wildlife, not to mention the health of human beings.
A Primer on How the Bush Administration Hides the Damage Its Reckless Policies Do to Birds and Their Habitats
For a first-class book that tells the story of how President Bush hides the destructive impact of his policies on birds and bird habitats, we strongly recommend Bush Versus the Environment by Robert S. Devine (Anchor Books, $12).
This book is your authoritative primer on the rhetorical devices that Bush uses to make damaging policies sound responsible and benign to birds and birders.
For more information, and to read an excerpt, click here.
Copyright 2005 Tribune News Services. Reprinted with permission.
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