Office of Surface Mining, Wrecklamation and Enforcement Proposes Weaker Revegetation Rules

On April 6, 2006–when they thought we weren’t looking–the US Office of Surface Mining, Wrecklamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) announced proposals to dramatically weaken revegetation rules for mountaintop removal mines (and other mines) in Tennessee. You can help stop these proposals!

Briefly, OSMRE proposes to: (1) delete the minimum requirements of eighty percent (80%) ground cover for certain postmining land uses and provide that herbaceous ground cover be limited to that necessary to control erosion and support the postmining land use; and (2) exempt areas developed for wildlife habitat, undeveloped land, recreation, or forestry from the requirements that bare areas shall not exceed one-sixteenth (1/16) acre in size and total not more than ten percent (10%) of the area seeded.

While the picture above depicts how the landscape looks before revegetation, according to an artist’s rendition, this this is what the landscape will look like after OSMRE’s rule changes have been implemented by the mining company

You can help stop these proposals by contacting OSMRE no later than 4:00 p.m. e.s.t. on May 8, 2006. For more information on the proposal and how to file comments, go to https://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-3260.pdf