Story highlights The study began last year and was expected to take two years to complete

It was measuring potential health risks for people living near surface coal mine sites in central Appalachia

(CNN) The Trump administration has halted a study of the health effects of a common mining technique in Appalachia, which is believed to deposit waste containing toxic minerals in ground waters.

letter from the Interior Department directed the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to "cease all work" on a study of the potential health risks of mountaintop removal mining for people living near surface coal mine sites in central Appalachia. The Interior Department acknowledged in a statement that it had "put on hold" $1 million in funding for the two-year project as part of a review of its grants, which is focused on "responsibly using taxpayer dollars."

"The Trump Administration is dedicated to responsibly using taxpayer dollars and that includes the billions of dollars in grants that are doled out every year by the Department of the Interior," the statement said.

Still, the National Academies -- a nongovernmental institution that researches and advises the government on science and technology -- plans to move forward with part of the research, and will hold previously scheduled public meetings this week in Kentucky, the Academies said in a statement

Political reaction was swift to the Trump administration's decision to suspend the study of "the potential relationship between increased health risks and living in proximity to sites that have been or are being mined or reclaimed for surface coal deposits," which began last year and was expected to take two years to complete.

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