Thank you for writing to express your support for the "Appalachia Restoration Act" (S. 696). I share your concerns about the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal mining, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you know, the practice of mountaintop removal mining - which involves removing mountaintops to mine coal seams within the mountain - has been found to have damaging effects on nearby streams as large quantities of excess rock and dirt may cause the deterioration of the watershed and the filling of streams.
On March 25, 2009, Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) introduced the "Appalachia Restoration Act" (S. 696), which would amend the Clean Water Act to prevent the disposal of mountaintop mining waste into streams and rivers. This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Although I am not a member of this Committee, I will keep your support in mind should S. 696, or similar legislation, come before the full Senate.
You may also be interested to know that on April 27, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Department of the Interior (DOI) is taking action to rescind a Bush Administration rule that eased restrictions on mountaintop removal mining to allow discharges of coal mining waste within the 100-foot buffer zone surrounding streams. Secretary Salazar has asked the Department of Justice to file a motion in U.S. District Court requesting that the rule be set aside and sent back to DOI for further review. DOI will draft a new rule and seek public comment.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also taken action to address concerns about mountaintop removal mining by suspending permitting for mountaintop mining projects until the EPA can assess the impact of this practice on water quality and aquatic life.
Again, thank you for writing. If you have additional questions or comments, please contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.
Regarding Health Care Reform
Congress recently passed a budget that lays out some basic principles for health care reform: making health care coverage affordable, guaranteeing Americans a choice of health plans and physicians, investing in prevention and wellness, improving patient safety and quality care, and making health care reform fiscally sustainable.
As the number of uninsured Americans grows rapidly, more people are suffering and forgoing needed care. It is estimated that more than 45 million Americans are without health insurance, including 6.7 million people in California.
Escalating health care costs are hurting our families and our economy. In order to put our economy on a sound path to recovery, we must address the costs and inefficiencies of our health care system. As we move forward in the debate on health care reform, I will continue to fight for common goals of constraining costs, expanding access, and improving quality.
I look forward to working with the Obama Administration and my colleagues to enact legislation that will put these principles for health care reform.
Again, thank you for writing to me. Please feel free to contact me again about this or other issues of concern to you.
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Win for the Polar Bears
Please take a few seconds out of your day to thank the 38 members of the California legislature who stood up for polar bears.
Last year, both houses of the California legislature adopted a joint resolution, authored by Assemblymember Ted Lieu (Torrance), calling on the Bush administration to stop stalling protections for polar bears and penguins threatened by global warming. This year, 38 state senators and assemblymembers joined Assemblymember Pedro Nava (Santa Barbara) in a joint letter urging Secretary Salazar to restore these essential protections to the polar bear.
The joint letter from the legislature states: "The people and the state of California cherish our wildlife and natural habitats, and we are committed to protecting our natural heritage and imperiled species from the impacts of climate change."
By last Friday, Salazar had restored some protections, but unfortunately announced that he would continue the Bush-era policy of denying full protections to polar bears.
California's legislators deserve our praise and support for standing up for polar bear protections. So often we ask you to call or write to urge your elected representatives to do more to protect the environment, and they need to know we appreciate it when they do.
| Click here to find out more and thank California's legislators. |
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