Mountaintop Coal Mines Face New Scrutiny Under Obama

(Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama is starting to dismantle Bush-era environmental rules that have let mining companies like Massey Energy Co. dig coal more cheaply by removing mountain tops and dumping the debris in nearby streams.

Government agencies are reviewing regulations by former President George W. Bush to ensure they haven

Shearing the peaks off mineral-rich mountains to expose the fuel is typically easier than digging conventional shafts and has grown to supply about 6 percent of U.S. coal demand. That has riled environmentalists who say the debris pollutes rivers.