Brian Willis | Deputy Press Secretary for Federal Affairs
Sierra Club | 50 F Street, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20001
p: 202.675.2386 | c: 202.253.7486 | e: brian.
Solomon Creek AMD Boreholes in South Wilkes-Barre
Dec. 7 — Hope has dimmed for a mine cleanup bill that environmental activists have pushed hard for.
Two factors are dooming the Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act (H.R. 4456): First, the bill still hasn’t been introduced in the Senate, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) isn’t supporting it.
Second, only seven legislative days remain in the current session of Congress.
The bill would provide $1 billion over five years to mining states for land cleanup. The money would come from the existing Abandoned Mine Land fund, which is paid for by coal producers, and wouldn’t require any new taxes or fees.
McConnell Noncommittal
On Dec. 5 and 6, a coalition of environmentalists delivered a petition with 10,000 signatures in support of the RECLAIM Act to McConnell and his staff, both at his Kentucky and Washington, D.C. offices.
“They never shut down the idea,” said Eric Dixon, coordinator of policy and community engagement at the Appalachian Law Center. “But we’ve also never seen the majority leader make it a priority, despite the fact that many East Kentuckians have made it a priority.”
But McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer told Bloomberg BNA that the senator had “no scheduling announcements beyond this week.” Steurer also noted that only 1,300 of the 10,000 signatures were from Kentucky.
Republicans in House Support Bill
Thom Kay, legislative associate at Appalachian Voices, said McConnell’s lack of support was puzzling, given how many Republicans have supported the bill in the House.
“They’re also conservative, pro-coal Republicans from coal country and throughout Appalachia,” Kay told Bloomberg BNA. “And it’s from [Rep.] Hal Rogers [R-Ky.], and the Republican House Natural Resources Committee has put a lot of time and effort into strengthening the bill as much as possible. So that’s clearly a lot of Republican buy-in.”
Some have speculated that Senate Republicans are steering clear of the RECLAIM Act, because they’re focusing on the Miners Protection Act (S. 1714), a bill that addresses health and pension benefits to miners, and don’t want to expend any more political capital on miners.
CR Path Closed
Environmental lobbyists also have tried to get the bill attached to the continuing resolution that the House hopes to pass before it adjourns Dec. 9. But that hasn’t happened either, despite Rogers’ efforts, Kay said, and it now appears highly unlikely to be part of the CR.
“The CR path is basically closed,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out what paths there are now, if any.”
The Miner’s Protection Act, S. 1714, also didn’t make it into the CR.
Reintroduction Likely
If the RECLAIM measure dies in the current session of Congress, it will most likely be introduced in the next one.
But that could take months, “especially if people start tinkering with language,” Kay said.
Dixon said the needs for mine cleanup and economic revitalization in coal states are too acute for continued delays.
“I don’t think we can wait another year on this,” Dixon said. “We have to take action right now. Congress needs to make this a priority this week.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.