(Forsyth – MFP) The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has indicated it will reject a law the 2023 Montana Legislature passed to loosen water quality laws that govern coal mining.
In a letter dated March 28, Jeffrey W. Fleischman with the agency’s Casper area office, flagged components of House Bill 576 as “inconsistent with” and “less effective than” federal laws such as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
HB 576, sought to amend the legal definition of “material damage” to water resources so it includes only “long-term or permanent” effects.
This story was excerpted from the Montana Free Press
