No more dumping mine waste in our waters!

Tell the EPA, the White House & the Army Corps of Engineers to close Clean Water Act loopholes

The mining industry uses our lakes & streams as waste dumps

Lower Slate Lake, before being used as a mine waste dump
for the Kensington mine. Credit: Pat Costello

Mining corporations are using two Clean Water Act loopholes to dump their toxic mining waste directly into the waters we all rely on.

In the process, these multinational companies are turning some of America's most pristine lakes and streams into industrial waste dumps.

Death by mining waste

In Alaska, the Kensington gold mine is pumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxics per day into Lower Slate Lake, killing its fish and aquatic life.

And we can expect more of the same: given the choice between treating their waste properly and just dumping into lakes and streams – mining companies will take the easy way out every time.

Lower Slate Lake, being used as a mine waste dump for the Kensington mine. Credit: Pat Costello

EPA to the rescue?

To protect our waters—and us—President Obama must make closing these Clean Water Act loopholes a priority.

Fortunately, the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers are considering regulatory changes that would do just that.

TAKE ACTION:

Tell the White House, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers that our water is more precious that gold!

Urge them to close the Clean Water Act loopholes that allow multinational mining corporations to use our clean waters as a toxic mine waste dumps.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Read the sample letter at right and edit it if possible. Customized letters have greater impact.

Click "Send My Message" to send your letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, President Obama, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

MORE INFORMATION:

EPA: Clean Water Act Definition of "Waters of the United States"
EPA: Breakdown of how each state is affected
EPA: Explanation of the mining waste exemption
National Wildlife Federation: Big Mining Exploits Clean Water Act Loopholes
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council: Kensington Mine

Subject: Close the 'fill material' and 'waste treatment system exclusion' loopholes in the Clean Water Act

Your Letter:

Dear EPA Administrator Jackson, LTG Commander Van Antwerp and President Obama --

I write to request that you protect communities, fish and wildlife from mining waste dumped in our nation's lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Please adopt policies to ensure the treatment of mining wastes before they are discharged to the nation's waters.   And please take immediate action to exclude mining waste from the definition of "fill material" and end the practice of using lakes, streams and wetlands as waste treatment systems.

The EPA and the Army Corps created a dangerous loophole in 2002 that has allowed mining corporations to call mine waste "fill material" and bypass federal pollution standards. Congress intended "fill material" to be used only sparingly in water bodies where necessary for construction purposes, such as building bridges or roads. This Bush administration decision opened the door for mines to dump untreated waste directly into America's streams and lakes.

Another loophole, called the “waste treatment system exclusion,” allows mining companies to circumvent the Clean Water Act and use streams, wetlands and lakes to dump their waste. Most mining waste contains toxic chemicals like arsenic and lead, which could serious harm to aquatic life. In fact, at the Kensington Mine in Alaska, the company acknowledged that filling in Lower Slate Lake with mining waste would kill every species of fish in the Lake.

The loss of Lower Slate Lake is just the beginning. High gold and metal prices have triggered a mining boom that, without stronger regulation, threatens countless lakes, streams and wetlands in Alaska and throughout the country.

Please work together to close these Clean Water Act loopholes. By reinstating the longstanding exclusion of waste from the definition of "fill material," restoring 36 years of controls on mining waster subject to effluent limitations, and ensuring that natural lakes, streams and wetlands are not used as waste treatment systems, we can make sure our waters – and the communities, jobs, and environment that rely upon them --are protected for future generations.

Sincerely,

President Barack Obama

Phone:(202) 456-1111

Fax:(202) 456-2461

Bob Perciasepe

Acting Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

Robert Van Antwerp

Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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EARTHWORKS

No more dumping mine waste in our waters!

President Barack Obama

Bob Perciasepe

Robert Van Antwerp