CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming environmental regulars are frustrated by a proposed federal rule that they say could cost the state more than $1 million a year in lost revenue and $500,000 in implementation.

The stream protection rule developed by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement would force companies to return streams and banks that have been adversely affected by mining back to their former condition.

Proponents maintain that more potent rules on water protection is a necessity in the West.

But Wyoming Department for Environmental Quality Director Todd Parfitt says the proposed rule includes a number of cleanup obligations that don't make sense in arid regions with sparse vegetation.

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