Environmental attorney Sanders says Kentucky officials oppose loosing of restrictions on dumping mining wastes into Kentucky waterways.

In November 2008, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear formally objected to a proposed move by the Bush Administration to weaken restrictions that prohibit dumping mountaintop mining waste near rivers and streams. The formal written objection, contained in a letter from Beshear to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, contends that the proposed rule change would threaten the commonwealth's ability to protect its natural resources, including water and streams.

Gov. Beshear was joined in his objection by Attorney General Jack Conway and Congressmen Ben Chandler, of Lexington, and John Yarmuth, of Louisville, all of whom wrote individual letters of concern to the EPA. These publicly elected officials contend that the proposed waivers would weaken a 1983 federal regulation that restricts where mining waste can be dumped, a so-called “Excess Spoil minimization – Stream Buffer Zone” rule. The proposed rule change would erase that restriction, making it easier to dump waste near homes and potentially into waterways and streams.

"Kill the rivers and kill the land" is what my grandfather used to tell me. Of course, what did he know, he was just a poor farmer that loved and respected his land and that of his neighbors.