"A federal court [Thursday] scrapped the so-called Stream Buffer Zone Rule promulgated under President George W. Bush to govern strip-mining activities."

"Environmentalists restarted litigation against the rule last year amid federal Office of Surface Mining delays in developing a substitute, called the Stream Protection Rule.

Yesterday, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Senior Judge Barbara Rothstein, a Democratic appointee, struck down the SBZ rule because OSM had failed to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service before issuing the new standards."

Manuel Quiñones reports for Greenwire February 21, 2014. [2]