Washington, DC -- The Obama administration, the consensus of opinion has concluded, bobbled its strategy of simultaneously launching cleaner standards for cars and giving more running room to oil companies off the coasts. The attempt to pair a green and a gray effort offended allies and irked opponents.
Despite that misstep, though, this is still potentially the most elegant Presidential administration in my lifetime. Just to remind me of that promise, today Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced a new set of rules to govern water pollution from coal mines. The rules themselves sound pretty wonky. Here's a sample:
"To qualify for a Clean Water Act permit, mining companies must show their proposed project will leave streams with conductivity measured at no more than 500 microsiemens per centimeter, a measure of salinity that EPA said is roughly five times above normal levels."
But here's the bottom line: If you dump coal-mine waste in a stream, you are polluting the water. One way to measure that pollution is by testing conductivity. What the EPA has done is specify precisely what level of conductivity means that a mine has violated the Clean Water Act. Starting now, mine operators -- and regulators and citizens -- all know what exactly what the rules are. And investors know that new mountaintop-removal mines aren't likely to meet these standards -- so why put money into them?
Administrator Jackson announced her rules to predictable applause from the Sierra Club:
"The new policy represents the most significant administrative action ever taken to address mountaintop removal coal mining. Today's announcement reaffirms the Obama administration's commitment to science and to environmental justice for the communities and natural areas of Appalachia.
"We also applaud the EPA for recognizing the negative impacts to the communities of Appalachia...."
OK, so that's not so surprising. But it turns out that even U.S. senators sometimes mean it when they say,
"Just get the rules clear." Look at this simultaneous press release from West Virginia's senior senator, Robert Byrd:
"I, along with other elected officials, coal operators, the mining community, and environmentalists from West Virginia have been asking for a clearer, concise policy on moving forward with mountaintop mining permits and water quality issues.
"I am pleased that EPA Administrator Jackson took our concerns about the need to provide clarity very seriously and has responded with these guidelines."
This is elegant governance -- the use of straightforward science and law to bring together parties that might not otherwise agree.
There are such win-win opportunities out there. But they must be executed with deep fidelity to the facts. Political spin just gets you in trouble.