John Nichols, Iowa City

Letter to the Editor

The Washington Post reported on Aug. 21 that the Trump administration has ordered a halt to a study investigating the health risks created by a form of coal mining called mountaintop removal. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the waste produced by mountaintop removal was introducing toxins into the environment, such as arsenic in drinking water. The administration claimed that the purpose of the order was from concern about the Interior Department’s budget.

Meanwhile, the American taxpayers are footing the bill for millions of dollars of President Trump's travel expenses.

— John Nichols, Iowa City