Preventing Gov't Waste & Protect Coal Mining Jobs in Am Act

omg<div>
</div><div>HR 2824, the “Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Act</div><div>
</div><div><div class="entry_body_text" style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="articleBody" itemprop="articleBody"><a href="http://coloradoindependent.com/128957/lamborn-spearheads-coal-industry-push-to-mine-near-streams" target="hplink" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">From The Colorado Independent's John Tomasic.</a>Colorado U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn is pressing to lift restrictions that keep coal mining companies from conducting operations within 100 feet of streams.The Colorado Springs Republican has sponsored legislation with Ohio Republican Bill Johnson. Their bill is about two kinds of waste. It seeks to prevent “waste of taxpayer resources” by thinning regulations meant to prevent “mining waste” from running into mountain water sources.HR 2824, the “Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Act,” would revive a rule made during the Bush administration designed to thin regulations but stalled by lawsuits and by a Ken Salazar-headed Interior Department sympathetic to environmentalist concerns.===stream protection rule<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump" title="Donald Trump" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> Trump</a>, had made reducing regulation, and especially environmental regulation, a key message in their campaigns in 2016, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ryan" title="Paul Ryan" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Paul Ryan</a> had issued a plan called "Better Way" that laid out methods to reduce regulation, including use of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Review_Act" title="Congressional Review Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Congressional Review Act</a>, which allows Congress and the President to force federal agencies to retract regulations that they judge go beyond what the law requires.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-BloombergCong-18" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[18]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[19]</a> Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell" title="Mitch McConnell" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Mitch McConnell</a> had also claimed that the rule would decrease the number of coal-related jobs.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-Goodbye,Stream_Protection_Rule-20" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[20]</a>When the Stream Protection Rule was published, it was immediately challenged in court by the Republican <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_attorneys_general" class="mw-redirect" title="State attorneys general" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">state attorneys general</a> of several states, as well as the coal mining company <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Energy" class="mw-redirect" title="Murray Energy" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Murray Energy</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-NYT2017-02a-17" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[17]</a> The states challenging the bill were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama" title="Alabama" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Alabama</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska" title="Alaska" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Alaska</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas" title="Arkansas" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Arkansas</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado" title="Colorado" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Colorado</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana" title="Indiana" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Indiana</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky" title="Kentucky" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Kentucky</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri" title="Missouri" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Missouri</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana" title="Montana" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Montana</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas" title="Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Texas</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah" title="Utah" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Utah</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia" title="West Virginia" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">West Virginia</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming" title="Wyoming" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Wyoming</a>, all of which are coal-mining states.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[21]</a>When <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/115th_United_States_Congress" title="115th United States Congress" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">the new Congress</a> met in 2017, controlled by Republicans in both houses, a coalition made up of 124 organizations, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace" title="Greenpeace" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Greenpeace</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women%27s_Law_Center" title="National Women's Law Center" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">National Women's Law Center</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Biological_Diversity" title="Center for Biological Diversity" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Center for Biological Diversity</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL%E2%80%93CIO" title="AFL–CIO" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">AFL–CIO</a>, sent an open letter urging Congress not to overturn the Rule.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-http://www.washingtontimes.com-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[9]</a>In early February 2017, Congress voted to use the Congressional Review Act to pass a "resolution of disapproval" to revoke the Stream Protection Rule.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-BloombergCong-18" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[18]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-22" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[22]</a> The resolution to repeal the bill passed in the House by a 228–194 vote and in the Senate by a vote of 54–45, largely on party lines, with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats voting against.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[23]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-24" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[24]</a> According to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_American_Progress" title="Center for American Progress" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Center for American Progress</a>, the 27 representatives that sponsored or co-sponsored the review of the rules received nearly $500 million from mining interests in 2016.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-25" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[25]</a> Trump signed H.J. Res 38 on February 16, 2017, overturning the Stream Protection Rule.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-BloomSign-26" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[26]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-Stream_Protection_Rule-27" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[27]</a>When he signed the resolution repealing the rule, Trump predicted that striking down the rule would save thousands of U.S. mining-related jobs.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-Goodbye,Stream_Protection_Rule-20" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[20]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-BloomSign-26" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[26]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-Vox-28" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[28]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[29]</a> Republican <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Johnson(Ohio_politician)" title="Bill Johnson (Ohio politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Bill Johnson</a>, the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 6th congressional district and sponsor for the disapproval measure, stated, "Make no mistake about it, this Obama administration rule is not designed to protect streams. Instead, it was an effort to regulate the coal mining industry right out of business."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-:3-30" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[30]</a><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3;">Effects of revocation[</h2>Subsequent to the revocation of the Stream Protection Rule by the Trump administration, many scientists, when interviewed, said that it would have had an insignificant impact on the activities of coal companies.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[31]</a>Moreover, the US <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_industry" title="Energy industry" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">energy industry</a> had generally reduced its use of coal in favor of cheaper <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas" title="Natural gas" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">natural gas</a> and to a lesser extent <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy" title="Renewable energy" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">renewables</a>, and analysts said that even if the Stream Protection Rule had made coal more expensive for them, it would not have had much of an effect on the industry; its revocation meant little to them as well.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-32" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[32]</a>The revocation of these regulations left unclear what regulation would be used to implement the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Protection_Rule#cite_note-33" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[33]</a></div></div></div>