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75-569: They were a topic in the 2016 elections , with Republican candidates for federal office saying that they would strike the regulations down if they would be elected. In February 2017, the Republican-controlled Congress , through the Congressional Review Act , passed a bill (a "resolution of disapproval") to revoke the rule. President Donald Trump signed the legislation, repealing the rule. This left

150-548: A wastewater treatment plant or an oil spill . Non-point sources are more diffuse. An example is agricultural runoff . Pollution is the result of the cumulative effect over time. Pollution may take many forms. One would is toxic substances such as oil, metals, plastics, pesticides , persistent organic pollutants , and industrial waste products. Another is stressful conditions such as changes of pH , hypoxia or anoxia, increased temperatures, excessive turbidity , or changes of salinity ). The introduction of pathogenic organisms

225-521: A " basket of deplorables ", bigots and extremists, and advocated the expansion of President Obama's policies ; racial , LGBT , and women's rights ; and inclusive capitalism . The United States government's intelligence agencies concluded the Russian government interfered in the 2016 United States elections. A joint US intelligence review stated with high confidence that, "Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at

300-973: A 241-to-194 majority following the elections. Nationwide, Republicans won the popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 1.1 percent. Regular elections were held for the governorships of 11 U.S. states and two U.S. territories . Additionally, a special election was held in Oregon after the resignation of John Kitzhaber as governor . Republicans won a net gain of two seats by winning open seats in Missouri, Vermont, and New Hampshire while Democrats defeated an incumbent in North Carolina. However, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia switched his party affiliation to Republican shortly after his inauguration, thereby netting Republicans 3 seats and giving them 34 seats nationwide, tying their record set in

375-496: A biomonitor or bioindicator is described as biological monitoring . This refers to the measurement of specific properties of an organism to obtain information on the surrounding physical and chemical environment. Biological testing involves the use of plant, animal or microbial indicators to monitor the health of an aquatic ecosystem . They are any biological species or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal what degree of ecosystem or environmental integrity

450-425: A condition comparable to its condition before the mining operation was introduced. During the restoration process companies would be required to plant native trees and vegetation. 30% of the rule's provisions were revisions and organizational changes that aimed to help "improve consistency, clarity, accuracy, and ease of use." Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Hon. Janice Schneider testified before

525-491: A fourth treatment stage which not many plants have. Solid waste can enter water bodies through untreated sewage, combined sewer overflows, urban runoff, people discarding garbage into the environment, wind carrying municipal solid waste from landfills and so forth. This results in macroscopic pollution– large visible items polluting the water– but also microplastics pollution that is not directly visible. The terms marine debris and marine plastic pollution are used in

600-566: A joint House committee hearing stating "Every reclamation practice contained in the proposed rule has been successfully implemented by a mine operator somewhere in the country." and that the rule was based on industry best practice. The Stream Protection Rule covered waterways near surface coal mining operations in order to avoid pollution of rivers and streams, and also called for the restoration of streams that had been damaged by dangerous, heavy metals like mercury and arsenic . The Rule would have protected an estimated 6,000 miles of streams over

675-413: A low cost treatment option for sewage. UV light (sunlight) can be used to degrade some pollutants in waste stabilization ponds (sewage lagoons). The use of safely managed sanitation services would prevent water pollution caused by lack of access to sanitation. Well-designed and operated systems (i.e., with secondary treatment stages or more advanced tertiary treatment) can remove 90 percent or more of

750-494: A negative socio-economic effect. The Statement also offered predictions on the likely effects on public health and safety; biological resources, water resources, and air quality; topography and land use; and recreation in minority and low-income counties, and found that there were likely to be negligible to very beneficial effects in each of those aspects. The statement also addressed protections for cemeteries and sacred lands on tribal lands. The revised rules, which became known as

825-627: A net gain of two seats, but Republicans retained a majority with 52 seats in the 100-member chamber. All 435 voting seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. Additionally, elections were held to select the delegates for the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories , including the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico . Democrats won a net gain of six seats, but Republicans held

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900-427: A net gain of two seats. Various other state, territorial, and local races and referendums were held throughout the year. This was the first presidential election since 2000, where the winning candidate failed to have coattails in either house of Congress. This is the most recent election where one party simultaneously gained seats in both houses of Congress. Wall Street banks and other big financial institutions spent

975-469: A record $ 2 billion trying to influence the 2016 United States elections. Trump's right-wing populist nationalist campaign, which promised to " Make America Great Again " and opposed political correctness , illegal immigration , and many United States free-trade agreements garnered extensive free media coverage due to Trump's inflammatory comments. Clinton emphasized her extensive political experience, denounced Trump and many of his supporters as

1050-565: A report for members and committees of Congress was published by the Congressional Research Service , entitled "The Office of Surface Mining's Stream Protection Rule: An Overview." The report described the history of law, regulation, and litigation that had led to the new rules. The report also summarized a report, Draft Regulatory Impact Analysis of the Stream Protection Rule , that was prepared for

1125-472: A vote of 54–45, largely on party lines, with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats voting against. According to the Center for American Progress , the 27 representatives that sponsored or co-sponsored the review of the rules received nearly $ 500 million from mining interests in 2016. Trump signed H.J. Res 38 on February 16, 2017, overturning the Stream Protection Rule. When he signed the resolution repealing

1200-666: A waterway from a single, identifiable source, such as a pipe or ditch . Examples of sources in this category include discharges from a sewage treatment plant, a factory, or a city storm drain . The U.S. Clean Water Act (CWA) defines point source for regulatory enforcement purposes ( see United States regulation of point source water pollution ). The CWA definition of point source was amended in 1987 to include municipal storm sewer systems, as well as industrial storm water, such as from construction sites. Sewage typically consists of 99.9% water and 0.1% solids. Sewage contributes many classes of nutrients that lead to Eutrophication . It

1275-703: A wide spectrum of chemicals , pathogens, and physical changes such as elevated temperature. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be naturally occurring ( calcium , sodium , iron, manganese , etc.) the concentration usually determines what is a natural component of water and what is a contaminant. High concentrations of naturally occurring substances can have negative impacts on aquatic flora and fauna. Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials such as plant matter (e.g. leaves and grass) as well as human-made chemicals. Other natural and anthropogenic substances may cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and disrupts plant growth, and clogs

1350-463: Is a form of water pollution as well. It causes biological pollution . In many areas of the world, groundwater pollution poses a hazard to the wellbeing of people and ecosystems. One-quarter of the world's population depends on groundwater for drinking, yet concentrated recharging is known to carry short-lived contaminants into carbonate aquifers and jeopardize the purity of those waters. Point source water pollution refers to contaminants that enter

1425-569: Is a major source of phosphate for example. Sewage is often contaminated with diverse compounds found in personal hygiene , cosmetics , pharmaceutical drugs (see also drug pollution ), and their metabolites Water pollution due to environmental persistent pharmaceutical pollutants can have wide-ranging consequences. When sewers overflow during storm events this can lead to water pollution from untreated sewage. Such events are called sanitary sewer overflows or combined sewer overflows . Industrial processes that use water also produce wastewater. This

1500-513: Is a process whereby air pollutants from industrial or natural sources settle into water bodies. The deposition may lead to polluted water near the source, or at distances up to a few thousand miles away. The most frequently observed water pollutants resulting from industrial air deposition are sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds, mercury compounds, other heavy metals, and some pesticides and industrial by-products. Natural sources of air deposition include forest fires and microbial activity. Acid rain

1575-413: Is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases the primary productivity of the ecosystem. Subsequent negative environmental effects such as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe reductions in water quality may occur. This can harm fish and other animal populations. Ocean acidification is another impact of water pollution. Ocean acidification

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1650-626: Is another. Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. Control of water pollution requires appropriate infrastructure and management plans as well as legislation. Technology solutions can include improving sanitation , sewage treatment , industrial wastewater treatment , agricultural wastewater treatment , erosion control , sediment control and control of urban runoff (including stormwater management). A practical definition of water pollution is: "Water pollution

1725-480: Is being investigated since at least the 1990s. PPCPs include substances used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons and the products used by agribusiness to boost growth or health of livestock. More than twenty million tons of PPCPs are produced every year. The European Union has declared pharmaceutical residues with the potential of contamination of water and soil to be "priority substances". PPCPs have been detected in water bodies throughout

1800-469: Is called industrial wastewater . Using the US as an example, the main industrial consumers of water (using over 60% of the total consumption) are power plants, petroleum refineries, iron and steel mills, pulp and paper mills, and food processing industries. Some industries discharge chemical wastes, including solvents and heavy metals (which are toxic) and other harmful pollutants. Industrial wastewater could add

1875-462: Is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide , which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. Some governments have made efforts since the 1970s to reduce the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. The main source of sulfur and nitrogen compounds that result in acid rain are anthropogenic , but nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally by lightning strikes and sulphur dioxide

1950-545: Is mandatory regulations, which are only part of the solution. Other important tools in pollution control include environmental education, economic instruments, market forces, and stricter enforcement. Standards can be "precise" (for a defined quantifiable minimum or maximum value for a pollutant), or "imprecise" which would require the use of Best available technology (BAT) or Best practicable environmental option (BPEO). Market-based economic instruments for pollution control can include charges, subsidies, deposit or refund schemes,

2025-695: Is one of five presidential elections in American history that the winner of the popular vote did not win the presidency. Libertarian Gary Johnson won 3.3% of the popular vote, the strongest performance by a third party presidential nominee since the 1996 election . Trump flipped the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, and Iowa, that were won by Obama in 2008 and 2012 . The former two last voted Republican in 1988 and Wisconsin last did so in 1984.[ citation needed ] All seats in Senate Class 3 were up for election. Democrats won

2100-518: Is present. One example of a group of bio-indicators are the copepods and other small water crustaceans that are present in many water bodies. Such organisms can be monitored for changes (biochemical, physiological, or behavioral) that may indicate a problem within their ecosystem. Water pollution is a major global environmental problem because it can result in the degradation of all aquatic ecosystems – fresh, coastal, and ocean waters. The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include

2175-658: Is produced by volcanic eruptions . Acid rain can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic ecosystems and infrastructure. Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have increased since the 1850s due anthropogenic influences ( emissions of greenhouse gases ). This leads to ocean acidification and is another form of water pollution from atmospheric contributions. Water pollution may be analyzed through several broad categories of methods: physical, chemical and biological. Some methods may be conducted in situ , without sampling, such as temperature. Others involve collection of samples, followed by specialized analytical tests in

2250-413: Is the degradation of aquatic ecosystems . Another is spreading water-borne diseases when people use polluted water for drinking or irrigation . Water pollution also reduces the ecosystem services such as drinking water provided by the water resource . Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources . Point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm drain ,

2325-906: Is the addition of substances or energy forms that directly or indirectly alter the nature of the water body in such a manner that negatively affects its legitimate uses." Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants. Due to these contaminants, it either no longer supports a certain human use, such as drinking water , or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support its biotic communities, such as fish. The following compounds can all reach water bodies via raw sewage or even treated sewage discharges: Inadequately treated wastewater can convey nutrients, pathogens, heterogenous suspended solids and organic fecal matter. Bacteria, viruses, protozoans and parasitic worms are examples of pathogens that can be found in wastewater. In practice, indicator organisms are used to investigate pathogenic pollution of water because

Stream Protection Rule - Misplaced Pages Continue

2400-510: Is the ongoing decrease in the pH value of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere. Water pollution is a problem in developing countries as well as in developed countries . For example, water pollution in India and China is widespread. About 90 percent of the water in the cities of China is polluted. One aspect of environmental protection

2475-906: The Schistosoma type. The source of high levels of pathogens in water bodies can be from human feces (due to open defecation ), sewage, blackwater , or manure that has found its way into the water body. The cause for this can be lack of sanitation procedures or poorly functioning on-site sanitation systems ( septic tanks , pit latrines ), sewage treatment plants without disinfection steps, sanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) during storm events and intensive agriculture (poorly managed livestock operations). Organic substances that enter water bodies are often toxic . Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent organic pollutants . Inorganic water pollutants include for example: The environmental effect of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)

2550-563: The City of Virginia Beach voted against expanding Norfolk's Tide lightrail into their city. This table shows the partisan results of congressional, gubernatorial, presidential, and state legislative races held in each state and territory in 2016. Note that not all states and territories hold gubernatorial, state legislative, and United States Senate elections in 2016; additionally, the territories do not have electoral votes in American presidential elections, and neither Washington, D.C. nor

2625-568: The Congressional Review Act , which allows Congress and the President to force federal agencies to retract regulations that they judge go beyond what the law requires. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had also claimed that the rule would decrease the number of coal-related jobs. When the Stream Protection Rule was published, it was immediately challenged in court by the Republican state attorneys general of several states, as well as

2700-461: The Democratic primary elections . This was the first election with a female presidential nominee from a major political party, as well as the first election since 1944 that had major party presidential nominees from the same home state. Clinton won the popular vote, taking 48% of the vote compared to Trump's 46% of the vote, but Trump won the electoral vote and thus the presidency. The election

2775-789: The Iowa Senate , and the Minnesota Senate . The Alaska House of Representatives flipped from Republican control to a Democrat-led coalition majority, and the Connecticut State Senate went from Democratic control to tied control. Meanwhile, the New York Senate went from Republican to a Republican-led coalition. Many states also held elections for other elected offices , such as attorney general . Many states held ballot measures . Mayoral elections were held in many cities, including: The citizens of

2850-558: The Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation . Lack of access to sanitation is concerning and often leads to water pollution, e.g. via the practice of open defecation : during rain events or floods, the human feces are moved from the ground where they were deposited into surface waters. Simple pit latrines may also get flooded during rain events. As of 2022, Europe and Central Asia account for around 16% of global microplastics discharge into

2925-692: The National Women's Law Center , the Center for Biological Diversity and the AFL–CIO , sent an open letter urging Congress not to overturn the Rule. In early February 2017, Congress voted to use the Congressional Review Act to pass a "resolution of disapproval" to revoke the Stream Protection Rule. The resolution to repeal the bill passed in the House by a 228–194 vote and in the Senate by

3000-638: The Republican Party 's presidential nomination on July 19, 2016, after defeating Texas Senator Ted Cruz , Ohio Governor John Kasich , Florida Senator Marco Rubio , and several other candidates in the Republican primary elections . Former Secretary of State , First Lady and New York Senator Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on July 26, 2016, after a tough battle with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in

3075-490: The gills of some fish species. A study published in 2017 stated that "polluted water spread gastrointestinal diseases and parasitic infections and killed 1.8 million people" (these are also referred to as waterborne diseases). Persistent exposure to pollutants through water are environmental health hazards, which can increase the likelihood for one to develop cancer or other diseases. Nitrogen pollution can cause eutrophication, especially in lakes. Eutrophication

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3150-451: The pollutant load in sewage. Some plants have additional systems to remove nutrients and pathogens. While such advanced treatment techniques will undoubtedly reduce the discharges of micropollutants, they can also result in large financial costs, as well as environmentally undesirable increases in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions . Sewer overflows during storm events can be addressed by timely maintenance and upgrades of

3225-853: The "after 2016 elections" section, although vacancies or party switching could potentially lead to a flip in partisan control. Italics indicate office was not up for election in 2016. Water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution ) is the contamination of water bodies , with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes , rivers , oceans , aquifers , reservoirs and groundwater . Water pollution results when contaminants mix with these water bodies. Contaminants can come from one of four main sources. These are sewage discharges, industrial activities, agricultural activities, and urban runoff including stormwater . Water pollution may affect either surface water or groundwater . This form of pollution can lead to many problems. One

3300-611: The 1921 elections. In 2016, 44 states held state legislative elections; 86 of the 99 chambers were up for election. Only six states did not hold state legislative elections: Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Virginia, Alabama, and Maryland. Democrats won both chambers in the Nevada Legislature and the New Mexico House of Representatives , while Republicans won the Kentucky House of Representatives ,

3375-412: The 58th quadrennial presidential election. The electoral vote distribution was determined by the 2010 census from which presidential electors electing the president and vice president were chosen; a simple majority (270) of the 538 electoral votes were required to win. In one of the greatest election upsets in U.S. History, businessman and reality television personality Donald Trump of New York won

3450-853: The Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. That draft regulatory impact analysis (RIA) outlined the costs of the new rules to the coal mining industry, and provided an overall cost-benefit analysis of the rules. The draft RIA found that "added administrative costs resulting from the rule are expected to be small for industry, adding on average about $ 0.01 per ton of coal mined", although cost in Appalachia would be expected to be up to $ 0.04 per ton. Cost for small operators were expected to be higher. The draft RIA cites SMCRA Section 507(c) to assist these operators. The draft RIA expected administrative cost for government to range from $ 1,830 to $ 2,546 per mine depending on

3525-811: The Stream Protection Rule, were published on December 20, 2016 by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement , of the United States Department of the Interior . and became effective on January 19, 2017. Part of the work that led to the new rules was a collaboration with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ; the ESA requires federal agencies to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure their actions do not jeopardize

3600-403: The US presidential election. In May 2019 , Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Russians hacked voting databases in two Florida counties prior to the 2016 presidential election and no election results were compromised. The election saw an aggressive set of campaigns from both Trump and Clinton leading up to the election, Clinton's being of particular interest when considering

3675-400: The coal mining company Murray Energy . The states challenging the bill were Alabama , Alaska , Arkansas , Colorado , Indiana , Kentucky , Missouri , Montana , Texas , Utah , West Virginia and Wyoming , all of which are coal-mining states. When the new Congress met in 2017, controlled by Republicans in both houses, a coalition made up of 124 organizations, including Greenpeace ,

3750-497: The context of pollution of oceans. Microplastics persist in the environment at high levels, particularly in aquatic and marine ecosystems , where they cause water pollution. 35% of all ocean microplastics come from textiles/clothing, primarily due to the erosion of polyester, acrylic, or nylon-based clothing, often during the washing process. Stormwater, untreated sewage and wind are the primary conduits for microplastics from land to sea. Synthetic fabrics, tyres, and city dust are

3825-539: The continued existence of an endangered or threatened species, or adversely modify critical habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Service published its Programmatic Biological Opinion, and both agencies published a Memorandum of Understanding that described how OSMRE was implementing the findings of the Opinion, on the same day the new rules were published. Following the law being implemented, the Stream Protection Rule aimed to create "balance between environmental protection and

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3900-1188: The creation of a market in pollution credits, and enforcement incentives. Moving towards a holistic approach in chemical pollution control combines the following approaches: Integrated control measures, trans-boundary considerations, complementary and supplementary control measures, life-cycle considerations , the impacts of chemical mixtures. Control of water pollution requires appropriate infrastructure and management plans. The infrastructure may include wastewater treatment plants , for example sewage treatment plants and industrial wastewater treatment plants. Agricultural wastewater treatment for farms, and erosion control at construction sites can also help prevent water pollution. Effective control of urban runoff includes reducing speed and quantity of flow. Water pollution requires ongoing evaluation and revision of water resource policy at all levels (international down to individual aquifers and wells). Municipal wastewater can be treated by centralized sewage treatment plants, decentralized wastewater systems , nature-based solutions or in onsite sewage facilities and septic tanks. For example, waste stabilization ponds can be

3975-701: The detection of pathogenic organisms in water sample is difficult and costly, because of their low concentrations. The indicators ( bacterial indicator ) of fecal contamination of water samples most commonly used are total coliforms (TC) or fecal coliforms (FC), the latter also referred to as thermotolerant coliforms, such as Escherichia coli . Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in either human or animal hosts. Some microorganisms sometimes found in contaminated surface waters that have caused human health problems include Burkholderia pseudomallei , Cryptosporidium parvum , Giardia lamblia , Salmonella , norovirus and other viruses, and parasitic worms including

4050-448: The development of the new rules, OSMRE published a draft Environmental Impact Statement about the new rules. Pursuant to Executive Order 12898 issued by Bill Clinton, which required federal agencies to take environmental justice (EJ) concerns into consideration when taking regulatory and other actions, and pursuant to the EPA's own guidelines for implementing that order finalized in 1998,

4125-485: The exit polls and voter demographics. With her gender presenting as the biggest target for Trump's campaign as a point of criticism, the Clinton campaign made a conscious decision to capitalize on the negativity surrounding her gender to appeal to female voters (young women in particular) by co-opting feminist ideals alongside traditional democratic ones. The party's social media campaign was particularly aggressive, with

4200-487: The following pollutants to receiving water bodies if the wastewater is not treated and managed properly: Agriculture is a major contributor to water pollution from nonpoint sources. The use of fertilizers as well as surface runoff from farm fields, pastures and feedlots leads to nutrient pollution. In addition to plant-focused agriculture, fish-farming is also a source of pollution. Additionally, agricultural runoff often contains high levels of pesticides. Air deposition

4275-455: The impact statement had a section addressing EJ concerns. The EPA studied the demographics of 286 coal-producing counties and identified 44 that had significant minority or low-income populations; half of those were in Appalachia. The statement predicted that the rules would probably lead to a decrease in coal production, which would lead to a loss of jobs and with respect to minority-owned coal producers (e.g. Native American tribes) this would be

4350-422: The industry; its revocation meant little to them as well. The revocation of these regulations hindered the existence of several endangered or critically limited species, like the hellbender . United States elections, 2016 The 2016 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in

4425-869: The laboratory. Standardized, validated analytical test methods, for water and wastewater samples have been published. Common physical tests of water include temperature, Specific conductance or electrical conductance (EC) or conductivity, solids concentrations (e.g., total suspended solids (TSS)) and turbidity . Water samples may be examined using analytical chemistry methods. Many published test methods are available for both organic and inorganic compounds. Frequently used parameters that are quantified are pH , BOD, chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total hardness , nutrients ( nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, e.g. nitrate and orthophosphates ), metals (including copper, zinc , cadmium , lead and mercury ), oil and grease, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), surfactants and pesticides . The use of

4500-485: The most common sources of microplastics. These three sources account for more than 80% of all microplastic contamination. Surface water pollution includes pollution of rivers, lakes and oceans. A subset of surface water pollution is marine pollution which affects the oceans. Nutrient pollution refers to contamination by excessive inputs of nutrients . Globally, about 4.5 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation as of 2017, according to an estimate by

4575-432: The nation's need for coal as a source of energy." To achieve this, the rule included improvements in the protection of water supplies, water quality, streams, fish and other wildlife, and other environmental issues that are harmed by surface coal mining; furthermore, the rule provided mine operators with more regulations that would help avoid water pollution as well as water treatment costs. In addition to these guidelines,

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4650-404: The next two decades, by establishing that coal companies were in fact, not allowed to damage the " hydrologic balance" outside their permit area and enforcing a 100-foot buffer around streams to preserve native species. The Interior Department had also said that the rule would protect 52,000 acres of forests as a default of keeping coal mining debris away from nearby waters. On January 11, 2017,

4725-414: The nomination over Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries . Trump won the general election with 304 of the 538 electoral votes , although Clinton won the popular vote by a margin of 2.1%. Democrats won a net gain of two seats in the Senate and six seats in the House of Representatives, but Republicans retained control of both chambers. In the gubernatorial elections, Republicans won

4800-439: The presidential election, while Republicans retained control of Congress . This marked the first time Republicans won or held unified control of the presidency and Congress since 2004 , and would not do so again until 2024 . Trump won his party's nomination after defeating Ted Cruz and several other candidates in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries . With Democratic president Barack Obama term-limited, Clinton secured

4875-412: The region. The draft RIA found that under the proposed rule, coal production would "decrease in aggregate by about 1.9 million tons annually, or approximately 0.2% compared with production expected under the baseline," reflecting mainly substitution of natural gas for coal by U.S. power plants. The draft RIA also found that the rule would "reduce adverse impacts on the environment and human heath" and that

4950-934: The regulations, which were issued in 2008. Environmental groups challenged the new rules in court and in 2014 a federal court struck them down, and the Obama administration began working on new rules. In a joint hearing in December 2015, by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Subcommittee on the Interior, U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence stated in the reasoning to the Stream Protection Rule that previous rules were not developed with current science and have failed to prevent environmental harm. Current evidence has linked coal mining with loss in stream water quality and ecosystem health. State regulatory agencies have rarely enacted policy to regulate impact on streams outside of mining sites. In July 2015 as part of

5025-535: The revocation of the Stream Protection Rule by the Trump administration, many scientists, when interviewed, said that it would have had an insignificant impact on the activities of coal companies. Moreover, the US energy industry had generally reduced its use of coal in favor of cheaper natural gas and to a lesser extent renewables , and analysts said that even if the Stream Protection Rule had made coal more expensive for them, it would not have had much of an effect on

5100-504: The rule also included eradicating water pollution outside of permit areas, requiring thorough data collection for mining operations, protection and restoration of streams, updated guidelines for protecting endangered species , and long-term treatment of unintentional water contamination. Expanding on permits, the rule also guarantees that science and technology are leveraged to analyze the potential harms of mining. It also ensured that lands that are harmed by mining operations can be restored to

5175-441: The rule's stream restoration and reforestation provisions would result in an estimated "2,811 acres of forest improved annually and 20 acres of forest preserved annually." Republicans, including Donald Trump , had made reducing regulation, and especially environmental regulation, a key message in their campaigns in 2016, and Paul Ryan had issued a plan called "Better Way" that laid out methods to reduce regulation, including use of

5250-439: The rule, Trump predicted that striking down the rule would save thousands of U.S. mining-related jobs. Republican Bill Johnson , the U.S. representative for Ohio's 6th congressional district and sponsor for the disapproval measure, stated, "Make no mistake about it, this Obama administration rule is not designed to protect streams. Instead, it was an effort to regulate the coal mining industry right out of business." Subsequent to

5325-748: The seas, and although management of plastic waste and its recycling is improving globally, the absolute amount of plastic pollution continues to increase unabated due to the large amount of plastic that is being produced and disposed of. Even if sea plastic pollution were to stop entirely, microplastic contamination of the surface ocean would be projected to continue to increase. Elevated water temperatures decrease oxygen levels (due to lower levels of dissolved oxygen , as gases are less soluble in warmer liquids), which can kill fish (which may then rot) and alter food chain composition, reduce species biodiversity , and foster invasion by new thermophilic species. The introduction of aquatic invasive organisms

5400-541: The status of regulations implementing the SMCRA unclear. The Stream Protection Rule updated the regulations issued by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) to implement Title V of the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), the focus of which were the conditions for issuing permits to begin a mining operation. The regulations had been issued in 1979, updated in 1983, and litigation over mountaintop removal mining required changes to

5475-558: The territories elect members of the United States Senate. Washington, D.C., and the five inhabited territories each elect one non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives. Nebraska's unicameral legislature and the governorship and legislature of American Samoa are officially non-partisan . In the table, offices/legislatures that are not up for election in 2016 are already filled in for

5550-399: The use of hashtags and celebrity endorsement being crucial to Clinton's appeal to the wider public. This backfired however, when exit polls showed that, while Clinton was popular with the female vote, it was Trump who had won the favour of a majority white female demographic, with some citing political ' wokeness ' as a voter turn-off. The United States presidential election of 2016 was

5625-457: The world. More research is needed to evaluate the risks of toxicity , persistence, and bioaccumulation , but the current state of research shows that personal care products impact the environment and other species, such as coral reefs and fish. PPCPs encompass environmental persistent pharmaceutical pollutants (EPPPs) and are one type of persistent organic pollutants . They are not removed in conventional sewage treatment plants but require

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