Political Quotes

“I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To continue cleaning up fields and streams while protecting neighborhoods, generating affordable energy, and creating jobs) At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. __. STANDARDS FOR COAL REFUSE POWER PLANTS. (a) Findings.--Congress finds that-- (1) 19th-century mining operations left behind more than 2,000,000,000 tons of coal refuse on surface land in various coal mining regions of the United States; (2) coal refuse piles-- (A) pose significant environmental risks; (B) have contaminated more than 180,000 acres of land and streams; and (C) are susceptible to fires that endanger public health and emit an estimated 9,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, in addition to other uncontrolled pollutants; (3) the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Department of Environmental Protection of the State of Pennsylvania recognize the significant public health benefits of power plants that use coal refuse as fuel; (4) since the inception of coal refuse power plants, the plants have removed 210,000,000 tons of coal refuse and restored 8,200 acres of contaminated land; and (5) due to the unique nature of coal refuse and the power plants that use coal refuse as a fuel, those plants face distinct economic and technical obstacles to achieving comp…”