Capito Statement on Interior Department Stream Rule

Press Release

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) released the following statement regarding the Stream Protection rule announced by the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement today:

"No one cares more about West Virginia's streams and water quality than those living in the Mountain State. This far-reaching regulation fails to consider the benefits our state's mining operations provide to West Virginia's economy. I will continue to work on a bipartisan basis to advance legislation that pushes back against this and other regulations that needlessly increase regulatory burdens and eliminate more mining jobs."

Senator Capito is a co-sponsor of the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act of 2015 (STREAM Act), which was introduced in May by Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.). This bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to make publically available all scientific products and data used to draft the Stream Protection rule, or to delay and possibly withdraw the rule. The bill also prohibits the Interior Secretary from issuing a rule or determinations that needlessly duplicate or overlap with current environmental laws, such as the Clean Water Act, under the jurisdiction of other agencies.

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