Rep. Kelly Supports Bipartisan Coal Ash Legislation

WASHINGTON — Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) issued the following statement today in support of H.R. 2218, the Coal Residue Reuse and Management Act of 2013, to improve environmental protections and protect jobs by creating a state-based program that sets enforceable federal standards for coal ash. The legislation passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support by 265-155.

“I am glad to support today’s bipartisan, commonsense solution to dealing with the unavoidable byproduct of burning coal. It enforces federalism and ensures that coal mining jobs in Pennsylvania, and across America, are not harmed in any way. By empowering individual states with the ability to protect the health of families and workers through responsible control of coal ash, coal plants will remain open, more jobs will be protected, and energy prices will be more affordable. This legislation encourages the responsible reuse of coal ash into cement, asphalt, and other products, which will keep and promote hundreds of thousands of jobs in jeopardy of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 plan to regulate coal ash as a hazardous waste.

“With this administration’s blatant hostility to coal fully apparent and claiming causalities, it’s imperative that Congress continue to responsibly check overreaching federal regulators in order to safeguard the benefits of this abundant, affordable, and accessible natural resource.”

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