This legislation (House Joint Resolution 38) would disapprove of and nullify the “Stream Protection Rule” issued by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2016. This new rule would “jeopardize thousands of coal and coal-related jobs, devastate coal producing communities, and put a majority of the country’s coal reserves off limits,” according to the bill’s lead sponsor, Representative Bill Johnson (R-Ohio).
The House passed H. J. Res. 38 on February 1, 2017 by a vote of 228 to 194 (Roll Call 73). We have assigned pluses to the yeas not only because the federal government has no constitutional authority to issue environmental regulations, but also because environmental regulations such as the “Stream Protection Rule” destroy jobs and increase energy costs. Also, states already protect streamwater.
