INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana’s Attorney General, Curtis Hill, announced that Indiana is joining 11 other states in a lawsuit against the US Office of Surface Mining.
The lawsuit states that regulations set in place by the office’s new Stream Protection Rule violate the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, and represent policy overreach by the federal government.
Under the new rule, all states are required to regulate coal mining by adopting and implementing a set of regulations that govern stream buffer zones, fish and wildlife protections, and water quality standards.
According to the lawsuit, the expansion of federal authority over each state exceeds the authority of congress.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare the new rule unlawful.
