Donald Trump overturns law preventing companies dumping coal mining debris in streams and rivers

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President Donald Trump has put the brakes on a regulation blocking coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams.

Trump called the stream protection regulation a “job-killing rule” before he signed a measure to overturn it.

Lawmakers from coal-mining states stood close by, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky), Senator Rand Paul (Republican-Kentucky), Senator Joe Manchin (Democrat-West Virginia) and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (Republican West Virginia).

Several coal miners and energy company executives also attended the White House signing ceremony.

Republicans and some Democrats argued that the rule could eliminate thousands of coal-related jobs. They said the rule also ignored dozens of existing federal, state and local regulations.

The Interior Department said in December when it announced the rule that 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests would be protected.

AP