Pro-Jobs Coalition Emerges in Battle to Stop the Obama Administration's War on Coal
September 20, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC – In a week marred by news of coal layoffs and mine closures, support continues to grow for legislation the House is set to begin debating this afternoon, H.R. 3409, the Stop the War on Coal Act. The bill is designed to stop EPA's regulatory assault on jobs and affordable energy and includes three proposals advanced by the Energy and Commerce Committee: the Energy Tax Prevention Act, the TRAIN Act, and the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act, which have all separately passed the House with bipartisan support. The package also includes important measures advanced by the Natural Resources Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Support is growing for H.R. 3409 as a necessary solution to stop the Obama administration’s unnecessarily costly and complex regulation of our coal power sector, which is destroying jobs and driving up electricity prices.
“It is important that the United States restore a common-sense, balanced approach to federal regulation. Passing this job creating package of legislation is essential to ensuring that Americans have access to efficient, reliable energy.”
Chamber of Commerce of the United States
“H.R. 3409 would block harmful job-cutting regulations, protect consumers from higher electricity prices, and promote sound government practices of transparency and a respect for state involvement in environmental protection. In addition to stopping the current war on coal, this bill would make changes benefitting all Americans through policies that encourage economic growth and protect low-cost and reliable electricity necessary for job creation.”
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
“(S)upport the Stop the War on Coal Act to preserve thousands of jobs and help to rein in EPA’s heavy-handed regulatory agenda.”
“The Obama Administration has been consistently hostile to the coal industry. This bill would help reverse the negative implications of his administration’s policies and protect American jobs, which have suffered on a large scale as a result of overregulation of the coal industry by the EPA. The relief cannot come soon enough…”
“The current administration is engaged in an ongoing war on coal that not only places America’s national security at risk, it threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands hard-working people throughout the coal industry. … We are now not only experiencing ‘pain at the pump’; we are also experiencing ‘pain at the plug,’ with higher electricity rates squeezing family budgets even tighter.”
“This critical legislation is about more than coal mining jobs – it’s about all the jobs created by affordable and reliable electricity generated from coal. These jobs range from high-tech manufacturing and computing to Main Street hardware and grocery stores that depend upon affordable electricity to keep the power on and the doors open.”
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
"EPA's outward hostility towards coal is already destroying jobs in the coal industry, while invasive regulations in general increase energy costs for struggling small businesses."
"Among our most plentiful domestic energy resources, coal is a linchpin source within the U.S. Energy supply portfolio and a key component of any successful "all of the above" domestic energy policy. … Over the past nearly four years, the EPA has been on a regulatory tear. … As Congressional oversight has brought to light, these actions are being launched with shockingly little consideration of their costs to the nation's fragile economy."
“Preventing EPA from using the Clean Air Act (CAA) to impose costly greenhouse gas regulations is necessary to ensure rational energy policies and American energy security. Rather than command-and-control EPA regulations that are overly intrusive, inefficient, and costly, increased natural gas development offers a much more meaningful way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
To view a full list of letters and statements of support for the Stop the War on Coal Act, click here.
For more information on the Stop the War on Coal Act, click here.
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