The National Mining Association (NMA) has praised the EPA's decision concerning the duplicative financial responsibility requirements for hardrock mining industry.
The increase in regulations and financial burdens on the mining industry are not needed, according to NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn.
"Today's action shows that reason can prevail. Modern, advanced mining practices--coupled with existing state and federal environmental and financial assurance requirements-- comprehensively cover the same risks contemplated under the [Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act] CERCLA program," Quinn said.
Quinn believes that as America is dependent on import from other countries so much at this point, it makes even more sense to try and support the domestic mining efforts.
CERCLA was enacted in 1980 as a means of tackling the risks to the environment and human health which was feared in connection with past waste disposal practices. 2009 saw the suing of the EPA by several environmental groups which tried to use CERCLA to bring other facilities into more financial responsibility.
In 2016, the EPA proposed that past conditions which were remedied by CERCLA are no longer an issue and that they should be done away with.
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