Johnson says bill saves coal jobs; critics say it endangers water

Environmental advocates counter that the amendment removes funding that protects water supplies nationwide.

The amendment, made by Johnson to the Republicans’ federal spending plan in the House, prevents the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) from moving ahead with a rule that Johnson said threatens coal-related jobs.

OSM was attempting to change a rule that allows mines to operate within 100 feet of streams so long as operators have permission from OSM, the Army Corps of Engineers and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

A press release from Johnson said that five years of public hearings, testimony and environmental impact studies have shown that changing the rule could imperil between 7,000 and 29,000 jobs.

In a speech on the House floor last Friday, Johnson slammed the administration of President Obama for re-opening what he called the “carefully crafted and properly vetted stream buffer-zone rule.

“This proposed sweeping regulatory action would radically alter the definition of a stream as well as how the agency measures material damage outside of the permit area,” Johnson said. “To date, the agency has provided no studies, data or support to justify these radical changes.”

Johnson accused President Obama of being politically motivated in his effort.

“This flies in the face of the administration’s pledge to base rule-making decisions on science and not on political factors,” Johnson alleged. “Furthermore, several states have expressed serious concerns about the need and justification for the proposal.”

He pointed to the 9.6 percent unemployment rate in Ohio and the 10.9 percent unemployment rate in the 12 counties that make up Ohio’s 6th Congressional District, which Johnson represents and includes a portion of Athens County.

“There are entire communities that depend largely on the coal industry, and both direct and indirect jobs would be threatened by this proposed rules change,” he said.

Johnson said his amendment doesn’t stop the issuance of permits nor does it prevent OSM, the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA from their regulatory responsibilities.

“My amendment would simply prohibit any funding to be spent on developing, carrying out, or implementing this ill-conceived proposed rule change,” he said.

JOHNSON WAS SLAMMED FOR HIS amendment by Elisa Young, a leader of Meigs Citizens Action Now, who said that Ohio is one of the top three coal-waste-producing states in the nation. She said that so-called clean-coal technology has made both the volume and toxicity of coal ash more concentrated in southeast Ohio communities.

She said over a half million people have written the EPA requesting that coal ash be designated as a hazardous waste, seeing as how currently there is no federal regulation.

“While we are waiting for the EPA to decide how they will move forward with regulating this hazardous waste, an amendment was tucked into the House appropriations bill that would ban any and all federal funding for coal-ash regulation, making any regulatory decision from the EPA unenforceable,” she wrote in an email.

The environmental advocacy group Earthjustice also issued a press release criticizing the Republican bill, calling it a shameful statement on the state of “corporate-bought-and-paid-for-politics” in the U.S. House.

“Instead of slashing the excessive subsidies and offensive handouts to dirty-energy industries, they have defunded the very programs that keep Americans safe and healthy,” said Martin Hayden, Earthjustice VP of policy and legislation. “This bill steals from the essential agencies responsible for ensuring that our air is safe to breathe, our water is safe to drink, and our cherished lands and wildlife are protected.”

Hayden said that the bill turns critical drinking-water supplies into dumping grounds for industrial polluters. It allows companies to “dump their toxic coal ash in overburdened, poor communities,” he added, noting that if Congress were taken over by polluting industries, this is the type of legislation that could be expected.

“These dirty industries have succeeded in getting their agenda passed by the House under the guise of cost-cutting, but these measures would be most costly to the nation and the public’s health if enacted into law,” he said. “Not only does this spending bill stop any progress we’ve had in its tracks, it pushes the clock back.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee piled on with a press release stating that the Republican spending bill dropped nearly $1.8 billion for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which the DCCC said would reduce the number of wastewater and drinking-water projects by approximately 750 nationwide.