Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Bureau of Land Management Relating to ``Miles City Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment''

Floor Speech

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Mr. DOWNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my resolution, H.J. Res. 104.

For 4 years, President Biden and his autopen waged war on American energy. He targeted the very foundations of our energy independence. No industry felt the brunt of the administration's attack more than the coal industry. Coal mines, coal-fired power plants, and the communities they support were pushed to the brink of collapse.

The 2024 amendment to the Miles City Resource Management Plan would have cut off access to 30 percent of the Nation's coal reserves.

The vast majority of Americans rely on coal for at least part of their electricity every single day, and at no point did Biden's Bureau of Land Management stop to consider the $46 million in lost revenue to the State of Montana, money that helps pay for K-12 education.

Make no mistake, this amendment was not a moderate, science-based decision. This was the heavy hand of Big Government crushing an entire industry in the name of a radical Green New Deal agenda. It was the inevitable result of an antihuman, America-last ideology that has been knocked on its heels in the wake of President Trump's election.

Today, I am thankful that we have the opportunity to reverse this rule before any permanent damage could be done. Today, we are advancing President Trump's executive order to expand American energy production and achieve energy dominance. We are standing up for the people of Colstrip, for the workers of eastern Montana, and for the thousands of Montanans whose livelihoods depend on responsible coal production. We are standing up for affordable electricity, for State and local governments that rely on revenue from Federal leases, and for a commonsense energy strategy that does not depend on imports from adversaries, like China.

This resolution is not about politics. It is about putting working families before bureaucrats. It is about keeping the lights on in America and keeping paychecks flowing in Montana.

When the Federal Government acts recklessly, it is the responsibility of Congress to step in and course correct. That is exactly what H.J. Res. 104 does.

The war on coal must end. It must end here with a vote to overturn this dangerous and shortsighted rule. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 104 and send a clear message that energy security, economic stability, and the voices of rural America will not be ignored.

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