In nod to coal miners, Trump set to reverse Obama's stream protections
The mining聽industry is hailing聽the expected revocation of an Obama-era rule as confirmation that President Trump will make good on his campaign promise聽to 'bring the coal industry back 100 percent.'
The mining聽industry is hailing聽the expected revocation of an Obama-era rule as confirmation that President Trump will make good on his campaign promise聽to 'bring the coal industry back 100 percent.'
The Senate voted to repeal a federal rule restricting mining companies from dumping waste in nearby streams on Thursday, as part of a wider push by congressional Republicans to peel back Obama-era regulations they see as excessive.
The Stream Protection Rule, finalized in December, sought to protect some 6,000 miles of streams downstream from mining sites over the next two decades, according to an Interior Department release from that month. It established a strict buffer zone rule that blocked mining within 100 feet of streams 鈥� one for which the Bush administration often granted exemptions 鈥� and required permit-seeking companies to restore the ecology of mining sites after the fact.聽
The mining industry celebrated the news of the repeal, which passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday and President Trump is expected to sign into law.
"This is one very, very important step to get coal back on its feet and stop the hemorrhaging of jobs that we've seen," National Mining Association spokesman Luke Popovich told Reuters.
The move resurfaces the conflict between those who see cleaner and more sustainable forms of energy as a priority for the public good and a new conservative populism that seeks to preserve a lifeblood industry for some states.
Democrats criticized the repeal as a win for polluters following the vote on Thursday, with Sen. Edward Markey (D) of Massachusetts characterizing the coal industry鈥檚 backing of the repeal as asking Republicans: "Please protect us from having to protect the public," according to Reuters.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) of Washington told the Associated Press the decline of coal had nothing to do with the stream rule, noting that it had not been in place during the past six years鈥� steep decline in production.
Indeed, the Trump administration faces an uphill battle in its promise to bring coal production roaring back, as 海角大神鈥檚 Zack Colman reported in November:
But Obama-era regulations were widely viewed by market analysts as an additional pressure on the coal industry, one that all but sealed its decline.聽And Republican allies of the industry may see deregulation 鈥� including the repeal of an Obama moratorium on new coal leases for federal lands and the turning back of strict new emissions standards 鈥� as aligning the party鈥檚 establishment interests with its new Trump-era identity.
"The legislation we passed today will help stop this disastrous rule and bring relief to coal miners and their families," said Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky, according to the Associated Press.
The moratorium, seen as a low-hanging fruit by the Obama administration, was deeply unpopular in coal country, as the Monitor鈥檚 Henry Gass聽reported in February, 2016:
This report contains material from聽the Associated Press and Reuters.