Thousands of abandoned mines are littered across the country. Coal, for example, was once the world's main fuel. Now, all of those mining companies are deserted. An abandoned mine however, will continue to rot the beautiful earth surrounding it forever. After all the miners have left, there still remains a pollution in the mine that gets in the water and taints every root and rock that it gushes past.
The EPA spent $1.1 billion on cleanup work at abandoned hard-rock mining and processing sites across the U.S. from 2010 to 2014.
Since 1980, at least 52 mines and mine processing sites using modern techniques had spills or other releases of pollution, according to documents released by the EPA last year. ChicagoTribune
So these huge mining companies drain all of the valuable resources from an area, and then leave. We the tax payer are forced to clean up their mess. That seems like a real sweet deal for these fossil fuel companies. Last December, Obama enforced a law that would ensure mining companies have a reserve of funds in the future that would cover such environmental damage. Mining companies could abandon their mines, but they would set aside an amount of money to cover future damages.
Scott Pruitt, Trump's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, got rid of that law. Fossil fuel companies applauded Pruitt's move. This should be no surprise to anyone who knows Scott Pruitt. The previous Oklahoma Attorney General, has always had a great relationship with the fossil fuel industry. Recently a trove of emails were discovered that illustrate exactly how sweet the relationship is.
The emails highlight an often-chummy relationship between Pruitt’s office and Devon Energy, a major oil and gas exploration and production company based in Oklahoma City. The correspondence makes clear that top officials at the company met often with Pruitt or people who worked for him. Devon representatives also helped draft — and redraft — letters for Pruitt to sign and send to federal officials in an effort to stave off new regulations. WashingtonPost
Why Trump would nominate someone in bed with oil and gas executives to protect our environment is very suspicious. It is as if Trump is trying to destroy every inch of our country. There are so many more adjustments to EPA laws we don't even know about. When Trump leaves office, our already damaged planet, will be much more sick.
In fact, the EPA is rolling back so many new regulations it is hard to list them all. For example, the EPA is trying to abolish safeguards against the sales of dirty trucks. The EPA limited the number of new trucks that could be refurbished cheaply using old engines, that don't meet modern emissions standards. Under the dirty truck loophole, there is no limit on the number of dirty trucks used. NRDC
Again, the fossil fuel industry applauds Scott Pruitt.