WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Alex Mooney spoke on the floor of the United States House of Representatives to condemn the recent trip of top Obama administration officials, Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell and Office of Surface Mining Director, Joseph Pizarchik, to West Virginia.
“Secretary Sally Jewell and Director Joseph Pizarchik should be embarrassed that they are just now coming to West Virginia after their offices have relentlessly continued to advance the Obama Administration’s War on Coal.” said Rep. Mooney.
“The apparent purpose of their visit was to seek input for a new Obama regulation that is estimated to kill 80,000 coal jobs.
“It is clear that nothing will stop the President from trying to implement his radical environmental agenda, and I will continue to fight back on behalf of all West Virginians.”
Congressman Alex Mooney (WV-02) introduced H.R. 1644, the STREAM Act, to prevent implementation of a new stream buffer zone rule from the Office of Surface Mining in the Department of the Interior. A 2012 study conducted on behalf of the National Mining Association found that the job loss nationwide from a new Stream Buffer Zone rule would be between 133,441 and 273,227 jobs or 29% to 59% of coal mining and linked sector jobs.
Alex X. Mooney represents West Virginia’s second congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a member of the Budget and Natural Resources Committees.
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