WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, voted today in support of H.R. 1644, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining (STREAM) Act. This legislation would ensure transparency in the science used to develop the Stream Buffer Zone Rule, require the Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI) to conduct a comprehensive study of the regulatory effectiveness of the rule, and seek to end duplicative rulemaking. Whitfield issued the following statement upon passage.
“In 2008, President Obama’s Administration overturned the Stream Buffer Zone rule imposing new regulatory requirements that would effectively ban mining operations near streams. This rule has been one of the hardest blows delivered by the president’s multi-pronged approach to destroying the coal industry. This important legislation will allow us to study the value of these regulations and afford Congress the opportunity to review and make recommendations in the best interest of the American people.”