How does the Clean Water Act relate to mining?
The US's Clean Water Act regulates how pollutants are released into US waters and water quality standards. Mining activities must adhere to these regulations.
Water quality requirements and the discharge of pollutants into US waters are governed by the US Clean Water Act.
Its regulations apply to mining companies. Specifically, mining is governed by Sections 402 and 404, the US Army Corps of Engineers controlling Section 404 and the EPA controlling Section 402, which both regulate the dumping of pollutants and the discharge of dredged material or "fill."
Much waste is generated by the mining industry, and hard rock mining is notorious for abusing the Clean Water Act, contaminating US waters (EPA estimates 40% of US watersheds in the western part of the country; see here). This is accomplished through the application of "the fill rule," which, much to the dismay of environmental scientists, classifies mining waste as fill, allowing it to be covered by the much less stringent Section 404.
This loophole allows companies to dump hazardous chemical-filled mining waste onto public land through the issuance of permits by the Army Corps of Engineers, whose mission does not include environmental protection, and whose permit application process is far less stringent than that of Section 402 of the Clean Water Act.
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The Clean Water Act (CWA) regulates pollution discharges into water bodies, including those resulting from mining activities. It requires permits for any discharge of pollutants into navigable waters, including those associated with mining operations. The Act aims to prevent water pollution and protect the quality of aquatic environments by setting water quality standards, regulating point source pollution, and requiring the implementation of pollution control measures by mining companies.
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When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.
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