John Yarmuth: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. In recent weeks, we have learned about the water contamination problems in Flint…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. In recent weeks, we have learned about the water contamination problems in Flint, Michigan. By now, many of us have seen angry mothers and fathers on local television there, holding up water that looks like this, demanding a response from government officials. I think we all support the steps that the State and Federal Government are now taking to ensure that the water in Flint is safe for families to drink. But what if the legislation we are debating right now prevented government officials from taking that action? There would obviously be an outcry from Members on both sides of the aisle, and the bill would likely be defeated, as it should be. I am here on the floor today to say that this bill does, in fact, block government officials from protecting the water supply, not for the people of Flint, but for families in Appalachia and other coal mining communities. This water isn't from Flint, Michigan. It is from a well near a mountaintop removal site in eastern Kentucky. This orange water is what comes out of taps in much of Appalachia, where water is contaminated by toxic mine waste from the reckless practice of mountaintop removal mining. I have talked to teachers in eastern Kentucky who tell me that when the children in their classes draw their environment, they draw the water orange because that is what they see. How tragic is that?…”