Legal and Policy Advocacy
United Mountain Defense works with federal and state agencies to implement policies that protect Tennessee’s mountains and highland watersheds.

Project Descriptions

1. UMD requests and organizes Public Hearings on each water quality permit (ARAP and NPDES) that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) proposes to issue. We have also request informal conferences (public hearings) on permits for new and renewal mines issued by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM).
 
2. Filing Substantive Written Comments on each permit for which we request and organize a public hearing. These comments are legally and scientifically substantiated and typically include hundreds of pages of exhibits, including numerous scientific studies. We make these comments freely available to other members of the public through publication on our website and through distribution upon request.
 

3. Participating in Agency Rule Making Proceedings. UMD works with other citizens and non profits to ensure that agency regulations (rules) comply with the requirements of the agency’s governing statute and with current science. UMD requests and organizes public hearings on selected rule changes, arranges meetings with agency officials for both UMD and other citizens and organizations and files substantive written comments on proposed rule changes. We actively educate the public and meet regularly with concerned citizens, scientists and organizations about changes to agency rules in order to analyze the ramifications—making freely available resulting research and expertise.
 

4. Educating Agency Officials about the requirements of state and federal law and about the impacts of surface mining on Tennessee’s mountains and watersheds. Our activities in this area include numerous informal meetings with agency officials, formal meetings with agency officials and presentations to the Tennessee Water Quality Control Board.
 
Learn more about Challenging Coal Permits