Hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee - the Coal Accountability and Retired Employee Act of 2010

Press Release

During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) shared her concerns with the Committee Chairman's revisiting of H.R. 5479, the Coal Accountability and Retired Employee Act of 2010.

H.R. 5479 amends the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). The bill seeks to use excess funds undesignated and not under any current law obligation for states from the AML program for union miner pension payments.

Lummis gave the following statement at the hearing:

"The nation's leader in coal is Wyoming. And we have a vested interest in the fate of the Abandon Mine Lands (AML) program. Since AML's creation in 1977, Wyoming has worked diligently to reclaim mining sites on over 32,000 acres. This work was done despite the federal government's failure to distribute AML funds to the states as required by law. Finally, under the bipartisan leadership of the Chairman of this Committee and others, a bipartisan agreement was reached in 2006 that finally granted to Wyoming, West Virginia, and other states what the federal government had co-opted for nearly 30 years.

"Chairman Rahall's understanding of this complicated history of AML has resulted in the carefully crafted legislation under consideration by the Committee today. As currently written, and absent other interference, it appears the legislation would have no affect on the historic agreement reached in 2006 on certified states and tribes. I commend the Chairman for his artful drafting of this bill.

"Having said that, I have two concerns that I sincerely hope the Chairman will consider. There were many, including the Chairman himself I would suspect, who hoped that following passage of the 2006 agreement this issue had finally been put to rest for the good of everyone involved. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. The program has continued to be the target of those who do not understand the promises made, and broken, by the federal government throughout the history of AML. The sharks continue to circle, Mr. Chairman, and I am deeply concerned that passage of this legislation will give opponents the opening they've been seeking.

"On a more philosophical level, the intent of the legislation under consideration helps to highlight what is a very troubling trend. From so-called agency "guidance,' to coal ash, to permit suspensions and delays, to Clean Air and Water Act revisions and more, the Obama Administration has worked overtime to hinder domestic coal production. The only possible outcome of these policies is a crippled industry unable to hire new workers of any kind.

"Again, I have great respect for the Chairman of this Committee; his leadership on the AML program is undisputed. I understand his desire to shore up a failing pension plan for coal miners. However, if we were truly concerned about the fate of America's hardworking coal miners, we would also be working night and day to beat back the onslaught from an Administration hell bent on halting coal production altogether.

"I look forward to working with the Chairman on all of these issues in the weeks ahead."

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