In Novel Suit, Advocates Cite ESA Harms From Conductivity To Modify Mines

Environmentalists are pursuing a novel federal lawsuit claiming the administration erred in failing to consider scientific evidence that high conductivity levels in Appalachian streams from mountaintop mining harms species in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) -- absent strict EPA enforcement of its own conductivity water quality values. The suit , Defenders of Wildlife, et al. v. Jewell, et al ., is challenging two mines permitted by the Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM). The...