Daines Co-Sponsored Coal Jobs Bill Passes Committee

Press Release

The Transportation & Infrastructure Committee today passed a bill co-sponsored by Representative Steve Daines that streamlines the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) burdensome coal permitting process and protects Montana jobs.

The Coal Jobs Protection Act (H.R. 5077) restricts the EPA's ability to second guess or delay a state's permitting and water quality standards decisions. It requires the EPA to approve permits in 270 days and stipulates that if the agency fails to act, the permit will be automatically approved.

"Whether it's proposing new job-killing regulations or slowing down the permit approval process, the EPA has been a willing actor in the Obama Administration's war on coal that is harming Montana families who rely on this important resource for their livelihoods and affordable electricity," Daines said. "The Coal Jobs Protection Act will prevent the EPA from holding coal jobs hostage with extensive and unnecessary delays in the permitting process."

Last week, Daines called on EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to meet with Montana families who are being harmed by the Obama administration's war on coal.

Daines, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and Congressional Coal Caucus, has been standing with Montana families in support of coal jobs and affordable electricity.

He introduced the Protecting Coal Jobs and Affordable Energy Act, which would stop the EPA's regulations from taking effect unless the government can certify that they would not kill jobs, increase electricity rates or harm the nation's gross domestic product.

Daines is also a co-sponsor of H.R. 3826, the Electricity Security and Affordability Act, which would provide that Congress, not the EPA, set the effective date for any carbon dioxide regulations developed by the EPA. It passed the House earlier this year but has been blocked from coming to the Senate floor for a vote.

Key Facts on Montana Coal:

Montana's coal industry supports more than 5,000 jobs.
Montana contains more coal reserves than any other state and ranks number six overall in coal production nationwide.
Montana gets more than half its power from coal, keeping electricity prices low. The average retail price in Montana is currently 8.42 cents per kilowatt hour, among the lowest in the nation.
Coal provides more than $100 million in tax revenue to the state of Montana, which funds schools, infrastructure, libraries and parks.

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