Obama admin sets rule to protect streams near coal mines

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The Obama administration has finalized rules designed to reduce the environmental impact of coal mining on the nation’s streams, a long-anticipated move that met quick resistance from Republicans who vowed to overturn it under President-elect Donald Trump.

The Interior Department said Monday the rule will protect 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests, preventing debris from coal mining from being dumped into nearby waters.

Officials said the rule would cause only modest job losses in coal country, but Republicans denounced it as a job-killer imposed during President Barack Obama‘s final days in office.

Republican Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said he looks forward to working with Trump to overturn the rule “and implement policies that protect communities forsaken by this administration.”

Republished with permission of The Associated Press.