ISSUE BRIEF: Stop EPA from Targeting Western Mining
The Courts Have Spoken. Now EPA Needs To Listen
The Issue:
EPA has tagged several Western states (those with significant mining operations) as the “worst polluters” in the nation. In its Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) report, EPA bureaucrats have broadened the reporting requirements to include the extraction and beneficiation of mineral resources, including "naturally occurring mineral compounds", known in the West as “rocks.” The result has been a significant increase in reporting in mining states – which are predominantly in the West – and a misrepresentation of the severity of environmental degradation in our region.
Impacts on the West:
Between 80–98 percent of the TRI numbers reported by hard rock mining in the West are from the naturally occurring minerals in the ordinary rock that is moved around the mine site. These compounds are not routinely released into the air and water. Including them on the TRI leaves the false impression to the public that the reporting facility has “manufactured” and “released” all the naturally occurring minerals being reported, which is not the case. EPA has tagged several Western states (those with significant mining operations) as the “worst polluters” in the nation. This has had serious public perception impacts and hurts the region’s reputation and, by extension, the broader business climate.
Status of the Issue:
Despite clear opposition by Congress and Western Governors, the EPA continues to include the extraction and beneficiation of mineral resources in their reporting requirements.
Solutions:
- EPA needs to follow the law and stop including the extraction and beneficiation of mineral resources in TRI reporting requirements.
- Congress needs to intervene and put a reign on EPA's obvious abuse of authority.
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