Posts Tagged ‘Congress’
Reauthorization of Mine Lands Program Advances
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would renew funding for restoring abandoned coal mine sites — but it would also limit a wide swath of environmental protections.
Read MoreEnvironmental Votetracker — Aug/Sept 2018 issue
Chart showing how Appalachian legislators voted on recent environmental legislation.
Read MoreEndangered Species Act Threatened
New guidelines from the Trump Administration alongside a congressional package of nine bills would bring massive changes to the Endangered Species Act.
Read MoreFederal spending bill: Some good, and bad news for Appalachia
Congress included funding for several programs important for Appalachian communities, but failed to include the critical RECLAIM Act.
Read MoreDecades in the Making: A Mine Reclamation Backlog
Several charts and maps show the enormity of the abandoned mine problems that still need to be cleaned up — and the inadequacy of the current cleanup fund.
Read MoreWhite House halts review of mountaintop removal health impacts
The U.S. Department of the Interior ordered the National Academy of Sciences to halt its review of the links between mountaintop removal coal mining and human health impacts.
Read MoreHouse Committee approves the RECLAIM Act with bipartisan support
On Tuesday morning, the House Natural Resources Committee passed the RECLAIM Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at revitalizing coal mining communities. The legislation would direct $1 billion over five years to restoring abandoned mine lands. Committee members also approved an amendment put forward by Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) to require projects that receive funding under…
Read MoreCongress Passes Budget Deal
In a last minute deal, Congress passed a compromise budget in late April that will fund federal obligations through September 2017. The budget includes funding for miner’s health care benefits that were lost during bankruptcy hearings for the parent companies.
Read MoreEnvironmental Votetracker — June/July 2017 issue
How Appalachian House and Senate members voted regarding several environmental issues in April and May.
Read MoreD.C. sends a ray of hope to Southwest Virginia
Through the dark clouds of the Trump administration’s agenda for rolling back or killing off programs critical to the health of Appalachian communities and the environment, a bright spot has emerged — $10 million for repurposing old coal mines in Southwest Virginia for new economic opportunities.
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