Capito Statement On Overturning Of Spruce Mine Veto: Reinforces Capito's Argument That Administration, Agencies Are Overstepping Boundaries To Enforce Agendas That Hurt Energy Production

Statement

Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., released the following statement regarding the decision by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to overrule the EPA's veto of the Spruce Mine's Clean Water Act permit:

"This decision underscores what I've been saying for the past three years: this Administration has been abusing their regulatory authority in order to advance an anti-coal agenda. The fact that the decision states the EPA's veto of the Spruce Mine permit was "unprecedented' and it acted in a manner that was "arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with law...' could not be a clearer sign that West Virginians have been unnecessarily subjected to an overreach of federal power.

"There has to be a middle ground here to honor our resources and allow miners to put food on the table. Federal and state authorities must strike an appropriate balance between environmental protection and economic development.

"The EPA's overreach is not limited to energy; it extends to agriculture and residential development. Farmers in my district worry that the EPA may conduct aerial surveillance and then force them to obtain federal permits; financially strapped local governments and developers struggle to comply with overly burdensomerequirements issued due to the EPA's Chesapeake Bay restoration programs.

"The United States--and especially West Virginia--is blessed to have abundant natural resources including coal, natural gas and oil. But this becomes irrelevant if the Administration continues to hold these domestic resources hostage. Refusing to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline is another example of how this Administration is refusing to expand production and supply to keep energy prices low and America competitive."

Capito is a Senior Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee which has jurisdiction over the Clean Water Act. She is co-founder of the Congressional Coal Caucus.

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