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 in the House, Representative Bill Johnson (R-Ohio).
The Senate passed H. J. Res. 38 on February 2, 2017 by a vote of 54 to 45 (Roll Call 43). 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.
