Environmentalists sued the Trump administration Monday for weakening a Biden-era rule that allowed citizens to report potential safety and environmental violations at coal mining sites.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenges a February administration decision weakening the Ten-Day Notice process of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
Appalachian Voices, Citizens Coal Council and the Sierra Club launched the lawsuit, arguing the change will let violations go unchecked for longer and endangering mining communities.
“This new rule will force members of the public impacted by harmful coal mining violations to go through a longer and more complex process that was never designed to be a substitute for immediate action to correct all violations,” Matt Hepler of Appalachian Voices said in a news release.
