Conservation groups challenged the Interior Department’s move to rescind a Biden-era coal mine rule in federal court, saying it will make it more difficult for communities to hold state regulators and mining companies accountable for violations.
The challenged Ten-Day Notice Rule is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to deregulate the coal industry and revive it as an energy source for rising power demand.
The rule “threatens public health, safety, and the environment by allowing potential violations of SMCRA, federal and state regulations, and permit conditions ...