Steve Stivers: “On Monday, the Committee on Rules met and reported out a rule for H.R. 4596, the Small Business Broadband Deployment…”

“On Monday, the Committee on Rules met and reported out a rule for H.R. 4596, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act, and H.R. 3797, the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment Act. House Resolution 640 provides a structured rule for consideration of H.R. 4596 and H.R. 3797. The resolution provides each bill 1 hour of debate equally divided between the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Additionally, the resolution provides for the consideration of five amendments offered to H.R. 3797, as well as one amendment offered to H.R. 4596. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the resolution provides for a motion to recommit for each bill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the resolution and the underlying legislation. The SENSE Act would modify the EPA's Cross- State Air Pollution Rule and Mercury and Air Toxics Standards as they apply to coal refuse-to-energy power plants, while still requiring those facilities to reduce their emissions. There are only 19 coal refuse-to-energy facilities in the United States, but they provide an estimated 1,200 direct and 4,000 indirect jobs, many of them in economically depressed areas. In addition to providing well-paying jobs and generating affordable energy, these power plants also address issues presented by coal refuse at no cost to the taxpayer.…”