Comments about ‘EPA wants mining industry to pay for cleanup’

Sounds good. The unintended consiquence, small operators will be put out of business and we will be in the hands or a couple of huge corporations. Sound familiar?

Excellent idea. The cost of the cleanup should be part of the mining company's operational costs. Otherwise, the company gets the profits but the taxpayers get the expenses, not to mention the long-term pollution and health consequences.

Great, but why wait till 2011? A performanc bond shold have been required years ago.

This is not an uncommon requirement, someone making a subdivision is required to post a preformance bond to make sure he doesn get half done and then leaves a problem in half completed roads, sewers etc. that the citizens will have to pay for.

Even as a consultant dealing only with "paper work" I have provided a bond to assure proper completion of the job satisfactorly. Why have the miners for many years been able to "dig a hole", take the valuables and not even fill up the hole or make it so someone just walking along doesn't just "fall in"

I THINK that there should be proper reclamation for evey shovel full of earth + proper controls on any hazardous materials and bons posted before they are allowed to proceed if this has any prospects of hurting or causing problems for other citizens,

This should apply whether or not it is private land (like the subdivision) or on public lands. The costs of reclamation should be part of the business costs for the subdivision, mining extraction, well drilling etc.

Dave - so you think the taxpayers ought to pay for small time operators clean up bill so they can afford to stay in business? Sounds like socialism to me.

Thanks EPA ! ! !

The EPA is on their way BACK to hat they
were created to do- protect the environment!
not to perform the biddings of what the corrupt Bush Adminstration wanted -- kill and destroy
for money.

Thank you EPA!