WASHINGTON D.C. — Today Congressman Alex X. Mooney’s bill, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining (STREAM) Act, H.R.1644, passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 235-188.
“I am proud that my bill, the STREAM Act, passed the House today with bipartisan support. The STREAM Act is critical to the mining industry and our economy. This bill will block an Obama Administration anti-coal regulation, saving an estimated 77,000 jobs in West Virginia and across America. President Obama needs to wake up and realize that his radical environmental agenda has a real impact on hardworking families,” said Rep. Alex X. Mooney. “The passage of the STREAM Act is crucial for preserving our economic health and way of life in West Virginia.”
“Thousands of Americans in coal communities throughout the country will be grateful to Rep. Mooney and his colleagues for blocking the Stream Protection Rule (SPR), the latest Obama Administration attempt to destroy their livelihoods. This massive rule will surely add to the 40,000 jobs already lost in the nation’s coal industry during this administration,” said National Mining Association President and CEO Hal Quinn. “If Congress is serious about eliminating foolish, duplicative and costly regulation, there is no better place to start than by supporting Rep. Mooney’s bill.”
When the rewrite of the Stream Buffer Zone Rule was first proposed by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), the Obama Administration regulators described it as a mild regulation that would only impact one coal region. However, the proposed rule contains sweeping changes that modify 475 existing rules.
Taken together, these changes will destroy an estimated 77,000 coal mining jobs nationwide, including up to 52,000 in the Appalachian region. This would be devastating to states like West Virginia that have already been ravaged by President Obama’s continuous War on Coal.
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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