Department of the Interior has pledged to reduce the impact of surface mining, and the EPA has enhanced research to see if the practice can be stopped or modified to protect water quality. "They haven't shared the criteria with us or demonstrated what effects would justify a moratorium on Appalachian mining," says Popovich. The biggest legislative concern, by far, involves climate change legislation. In late 2009, the EPA concluded that GHGs (CO_2, methane, nitrous oxide, hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons, and sulphur hexafluoride) threaten the public's health and should be regulated under the Clean Air Act's definition of pollution. The Obama Administration, however, has indicated a desire to enact legislation. Various House and Senate bills propose GHG reductions of up to 20% by 2020 and 83% by 2050.
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