Buck Votes Against President Obama's War on Coal

Press Release

Today, the House of Representatives voted 258 to 166 to pass the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015 (H.R. 1734), which provides for the safe management and disposal of coal ash in a manner that preserves jobs and encourages recycling.

"Obama's war on coal has to stop. Regulating coal fired power plants out of business hurts the poor; it hurts families; and it hurts farmers. We should be solving problems, not causing them," said Congressman Buck.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee's summary of the legislation can be found here. According to analysis by the Heritage Foundation, high energy costs caused by Washington regulations disproportionately harm the poor. They state: "While the median family spends about 5 cents out of every dollar on energy costs, low-income families spend about 20 cents," which is why President Obama's energy policies and war on coal hit America's poor the hardest. Heritage found that killing the coal industry would result in an income drop of more than $1,200 per year for the typical family of four. The war on coal also kills jobs. According to the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety, coal production in the state slipped to a 20-year low in 2014, according to state data. There was a nearly 20 percent cut in mining jobs in Colorado in 2014.

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