ENVIRON International Corporation (ENVIRON) today completed an analysis on behalf of the National Mining Association (NMA) of the anticipated economic impacts associated with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s (OSM) proposed rewrite of the Stream Buffer Zone Rule (the Stream Protection Rule) and other provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). The key findings of the analysis are as follows:
- ·Between 133,441 and 273,227 coal mining-related jobs are risk, with the Appalachian region alone losing as many as 220,003 jobs;
- ·Direct mining jobs at risk are predicted to be between 55,120 and 79,870;
- ·Both surface and underground coal mines will be affected, with an overall decrease of 30.4 percent to 41.5 percent in recovery of demonstrated coal reserves; and
- ·The annual value of coal lost to production restrictions is projected to be between $14 billion and $20 billion, with $4 billion to $5 billion foregone in annual federal and state tax revenues.
“The projected jobs loss, the potential impact on the nation’s energy security and the lost revenue to local, state and federal treasuries is staggering,” said NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn. “Coal is America’s most abundant, affordable and reliable energy provider. The proposed rule would have us forego this great national asset at the expense of jobs and communities across the country. It’s bad policy, and it’s bad for America.”
The complete ENVIRON analysis is available here.
ENVIRON is a privately held consulting firm founded in 1982 and based in Washington, D.C. Additional information is available at www.environcorp.com