Hal Rogers: “I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, President Obama made it his mission to bankrupt the coal…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, President Obama made it his mission to bankrupt the coal industry when he took office, and through a slew of job-killing regulations, he has nearly made good on that promise. His administration spent 7 years and over $10 million in taxpayer dollars writing the stream protection rule. Even though the bipartisan 2016 omnibus appropriations bill directed the Interior Department to engage with the States before finalizing this rule, the agency refused to comply, leaving crucial voices out of the rulemaking process. Under this midnight regulation, at least half of the Nation's coal reserves would be restricted from mining, and one-third of current coal-related jobs would be at risk. This would mean more devastating job losses in coal communities across the country, especially in Kentucky, where we have already got nearly 13,000 miners out of work. It is time to end the madness and give our communities in the coal areas a chance to rebuild. I urge support of this resolution.”