WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining released its final Stream Protection Rule:
“It is disappointing, but certainly not surprising, that the Obama Administration has decided to pursue this last-ditch effort to further harm West Virginia coal jobs. The Stream Protection Rule would cause significant harm to both surface and underground coal mines. Fortunately, the decision by voters last month makes today’s announcement by the Office of Surface Mining an exercise in futility. Working with President-elect Trump and our Republican congressional majority, I am confident that we will be able to use the Congressional Review Act to stop this rule from taking effect.”
Senator Capito recently joined 22 of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama requesting his administration stop issuing non-emergency rules and regulations in the final weeks of his term.
She also introduced the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act of 2015 (STREAM Act), which would ensure that any rule issued by U.S. Department of Interior is based on sound, open data and would not needlessly increase regulatory burdens or eliminate thousands of jobs.
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