Legislative Background on Mountaintop Mining
Recent Action in Congress
Mountaintop coal mining has become increasingly prevalent since the practice began in the 1960s, driven by high oil prices and growing energy demands. It grew sharply in the mid-1990s, when the Clean Air Act Amendments strengthened emission standards, and low-sulfur coal, a cleaner burning form of coal available in the Appalachian region, was needed to meet the more stringent acid rain requirements. Mountaintop mining is heavily regulated, at both the State and Federal level, through a complex web of statutes, including the Surface Mining and Control Reclamation Act, the Clean Water Act (CWA), and the National Environmental Policy Act. The…
