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Mooney touts STREAM act

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Second District Congressman Alex Mooney says his bill to overturn a controversial surface mining rule is a push toward exposing the real intent of the rule.

Alex Mooney
Alex Mooney

Mooney introduced H.R. 1644, the STREAM act, last week. It would prevent the implementation of the new stream buffer zone rule by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining. Mooney discussed the bill Tuesday on MetroNews Talkline while visiting Charleston. He said rule’s requirement of keeping mining activity 100-feet away from a stream would eliminate mountaintop removal mining. Mooney said the rule allows OSM to define a stream.

“It’s whatever they decide is a stream, that’s the scary part. It could just be a trickle of water,” he said.

The congressman added OSM has been less than transparent about what the rule would do in the area of job losses.

Mooney said his bill, which has been introduced before, would get the agency before the U.S. House’s Natural Resources Committee. He said the rule would be part of a congressional hearing before a subcommittee.

“We can force them to come and tell us what they’re trying to do. Explain to them that this (surface mining) can be done in an environmentally safe and friendly way and let’s try to work it out with the folks in the industry,” Mooney said.

Opponents of the rule have said it would also impact underground mining in the Appalachian region.

Mooney also said he was able get a de-funding measure in the federal budget bill that would keep OSM from spending federal money in enforcing the buffer zone rule.





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