To authorize the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to carry out a study to examine the potential relationship between increased health risks and living in proximity to sites that have been or are being mined for surface coal deposits, and the potential human health effects of surface coal mining operations in Central Appalachia, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · June 4, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study the health effects of surface coal mining operations in Central Appalachia. The study would examine potential connections between living near coal mining sites and increased health risks, including impacts from unreclaimed and abandoned mines, and would analyze how mining affects air and water quality, exposure to contaminants, noise, and other quality of life factors. The research team would include experts in mining engineering, public health, epidemiology, and environmental science, and would actively seek input from residents affected by these mining operations. Within 24 months of the bill's enactment, the National Academies must publish a report with findings and recommendations for protecting the health of people living near coal mines. The bill does not specify explicit funding amounts but authorizes the necessary agreement between the Department of the Interior and the National Academies to conduct this comprehensive health impact assessment.
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