McConnell to EPA: Nine Months to Approve or Deny Coal Mining Permits (S. 1514)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is S. 1514?
(Updated October 11, 2017)
This bill, penned by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve or deny coal mining permits related to water pollution regulations within 270 days. For valley filling, the EPA would have a year to make an environmental assessment. On average, such assessments currently take three years. Notably, the bill's language would mandate broad Congressional oversight of regulations related to carbon pollution standards, prohibiting "the head of a federal agency from promulgating any regulation relating to power sector carbon pollution standards or any substantially similar regulation" without Congressional approval and backdating the prohibition to June 25th, 2013.
Argument in favor
The EPA's regulatory process takes too long and lacks consistency, and this bill would help in both of those regards.
Argument opposed
Environmental assessments, no matter how long they take, are more important than a portion of the energy sector that matters less and less.
Impact
The bill impacts EPA regulations and environmental assessments, the coal industry and its workers, and those living near coal mines and mountaintop removal sites.
Cost of S. 1514
A CBO cost is currently unavailable, though the requirement of a quicker EPA turnaround time would have the potential to translate to EPA's need to higher more workers. An increase in labor might in turn mean a higher EPA budget or, alternately, that cuts would have to be made elsewhere, in order to offset the increase in labor.
Additional Info
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