Nick Rahall: “The Energy and Water Subcommittee is to be commended for its efforts to present a more balanced and reasoned approach to…”

“The Energy and Water Subcommittee is to be commended for its efforts to present a more balanced and reasoned approach to America's energy needs, particularly with respect to numerous provisions that recognize coal's key role in our Nation's energy supply. I strongly support, for example, provisions in the bill that would block agency efforts to redefine fill and jurisdictional waters of the United States--both of which would have severe consequences for coal mining in my home state. I am grateful to the Subcommittee for providing $450 million for Fossil Energy Research and Development at the Department of Energy--a figure that is $20 million above the President's request. That bump up represents the realization that coal is and will continue to be a vital part of America's energy portfolio throughout the foreseeable future. It is particularly significant given the overall budgetary constraints with which the Appropriations Committee is confronted and against the backdrop of anti-coal political fervor that seems to have taken hold in much of Washington these days. As much as I welcome this additional funding, I feel it important to make the case for even more funding for coal research and development.…”