CHARLESTON, W.Va. ─ The West Virginia Coal Association is extending a giant "thank you" to President Trump for officially overturning a job-killing rule from the previous administration.
Today, President Trump signed the congressional resolution of disapproval that overturns the so-called Stream Protection Rule. This rule, which was released by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining in the final days of 2016, would have sterilized as much as 70 percent of American coalfields and specifically targeted underground coal mining.
"President Trump is living up to the promise he made to West Virginia coal miners that he will do what he can to help them get back to work," said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. "Thanks to Congress' swift action and the president's leadership, our coal industry no longer will be subjected to a regulation that would not have protected anything but instead would have decimated our coalfields and the proud men and women who mine coal and provide for their families."
The $1.2 billion Stream Protection Rule duplicates existing protections in the Clean Water Act and sought to usurp the authority of individual states to regulate coal mining activities, Raney said.
The West Virginia Coal Association represents more than 90 percent of the state's underground and surface coal mine production. Its purpose is to have a unified voice representing the state's coal industry as well as increase emphasis on coal as a reliable energy source to help the nation achieve energy independence.