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Obama Administration’s New Rule Could Eliminate Thousands of Jobs

Via The Washington Post: The Dec. 20 news article “Last-minute rule to make coal industry cleaner met with praise, criticism” missed several key points. The rule provides no discernible environmental benefits. It simply duplicates and interferes with extensive existing environmental protections at the federal and state levels and it does so in a way that […]

Coal Country Lawmakers Ready to Fight Stream Protection Rule

Via West Virginia MetroNews: Critics of the Obama Administration’s new Stream Protection Rule believe it is a parting shot from the president to the coal industry on his way out the door of the White House. The rule is scheduled to be entered in the federal register Tuesday, and become effective January 19, one day […]

Stream Rule Aim Is to Harm Miners

Via The Wheeling News-Register: President Barack Obama could not resist a parting shot that extended his legacy of vindictive executive overreach. When his administration released a new Stream Protection Rule on Monday, the intent was clear: one last attempted blow to coal miners and their families. In a re-working of the George W. Bush administration’s […]

Lawsuit, Resolution Aim To Push Stream Rule To ‘Dumpster’

Via E&E Publishing:  Critics this week opened up two new fronts in their campaign to take down the Obama administration’s controversial new restrictions on coal mining pollution. North Dakota yesterday became the first state to sue the Interior Department over the Stream Protection Rule released earlier this week. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress moved forward with […]

Coal in Trump’s Stocking

Via The Wall Street Journal: The Obama Administration has given Donald Trump an early Christmas gift, in the form of a punitive 11th-hour regulation on coal. Issued by the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), the rule takes effect Jan. 19 as a classic example of the job-killing rules that Mr. […]

W.Va. Reacts to Ruling on Stream Protection

Via The Weirton Daily Times: Officials throughout Appalachia and the coal industry are reacting following Monday’s announcement by the Obama administration of final rules aimed at protecting 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests from any impacts of coal mining. Among those promising quick legal action against the Interior Department’s Stream Protection Rule […]

Four Obama Regulations Trump Can Undo Right Away

Via The Washington Examiner: President-elect Trump’s pledge to “drain the swamp” in Washington struck a chord with millions of Americans and helped propel him to his stunning election as the nation’s 45th president. Trump can start by reversing many of the laws the Obama administration created on its own, in its serial abuse of executive […]

Gillette Hopes Trump Puts Coal in Christmas Stockings

Via WyoFile: Lula Belle’s Cafe is a freestanding white-stone building between the railroad tracks and the bottom end of Gillette’s sloping main street. Smoking is still allowed inside, and the ashtrays between mugs of coffee suggest that’s the way the customers like it. Clientele varies from ranchers and retirees lingering over their coffee in the […]

Stream Rule – Destined for the Dumpster

December 20, 2016 Although bitterly opposed by the mining industry, states and Native American communities among others, the stream rule finalized Monday by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) serves a very useful purpose.  It shows what’s wrong with this administration’s regulatory policies and the malign motivation behind them. The stream rule achieves a rare […]

Obama’s Last Coal Rule Likely Headed for the Chopping Block in Congress

Via Politico: The Obama administration’s years-in-the-making rule to protect streams from mountaintop removal coal mining is on track to go into effect a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, meaning Congress will have to step in to kill it quickly. Trump has railed against regulations on the coal industry in general, although he has […]