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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Department of the Interior's Office of Surface
3Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE) is considering
4new sweeping regulations that would cut surface mining
5production and jobs by 21-30%, cut underground coal mining jobs
6up to 50%, and risk eliminating over 66,000 direct and indirect
7jobs nationwide; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Beginning in 2003, OSMRE conducted a 5-year
9process, including public hearings, the submission of
10thousands of public comments, and preparation of an
11environmental impact statement, that culminated in final
12regulations adding significant new environmental protections
13regarding the placement of excess spoil and clarifying its
14regulations relating to stream buffer zones pursuant to the
15Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA); and
 
16    WHEREAS, The Secretary of the Interior attempted to avoid a
17public rulemaking process by asking a court to vacate the 2008
18OSMRE stream buffer zone rule without public comment as
19required under the Administrative Procedure Act, but was
20rebuked by a federal court which ruled that the Secretary may
21not repeal the stream buffer zone rule without going through a
22rulemaking process that includes public notice and comment; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, OSMRE, in its own words, admitted that before any
2public comments were even received on its proposals, it had
3"already decided to change the (stream buffer zone) rule
4following the change in administrations on January 20, 2009";
5the Office is calling the new rule the "stream protection
6rule", and it is much broader in scope than the 2008 stream
7buffer zone rule; and
 
8    WHEREAS, OSMRE has failed to justify why a new stream
9protection rule is necessary or to explain the problem that the
10Office is attempting to fix, and such concerns have been echoed
11by the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, an organization
12representing state mining regulators with substantial
13expertise in SMCRA regulation; and
 
14    WHEREAS, OSMRE is inappropriately rushing to complete the
15rulemaking because of a unilateral settlement agreement with
16environmental groups, and is committing such flagrant
17violations of the required National Environmental Policy Act
18process that 8 of the state cooperating agencies have written
19to the Office objecting to its quality, completeness and
20accuracy, as well as calling the document "nonsensical and
21difficult to follow", and ultimately threatening to pull out of
22the process; and
 
23    WHEREAS, The coal mining industry is critical to the

 

 

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1economic and social well being of the citizens of Illinois,
2accounting for over 3,500 direct workers and another 24,500
3indirect jobs that have an impact of over $1 billion on the
4State's economy; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we express serious concern about the scope, justification, and
8substance of the OSMRE's stream protection rule, as well as
9about the procedure and process that have been used to adopt
10that rule; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That we call upon OSMRE to immediately suspend
12work on the environmental impact statement and the stream
13protection rule until such time as the Office:
14        (1) clearly and publicly articulates why the 2008
15    regulation has not been implemented and provides specific
16    details regarding each of its provisions and why the Office
17    believes that they are insufficient;
18        (2) provides scientific data and other objective
19    information to justify each and every provision of the new
20    proposal;
21        (3) explains why the Office is contradicting its own
22    annual state inspection reports which indicate good
23    environmental performance and refute the need for this new
24    rule;

 

 

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1        (4) justifies why a more limited approach would not
2    achieve the objectives of the Office; and
3        (5) surveys all of the state regulatory authorities to
4    determine whether they agree that such significant
5    regulatory changes are necessary; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we also urge Congress to oppose this
7unwarranted effort by the present Presidential Administration
8by withholding any further funding for OSMRE for the stream
9protection rule and environmental impact statement until such
10time as the Office justifies the need for new rules; and be it
11further
 
12    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent
13to President Barack Obama, the President pro tempore of the
14United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
15Representatives, the Secretary of the Department of the
16Interior, and each member of the Illinois congressional
17delegation.