[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 119 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 119

   Expressing the sense of the Congress that the health, safety and 
  general welfare of the residents of the Nation's coalfields should 
  continue to be enhanced by the implementation of the Surface Mining 
  Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 by State and Federal regulatory 
authorities, and that Congress hereby reaffirms the goals of the Act on 
               its twentieth anniversary, August 3, 1997.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 23, 1997

   Mr. Rahall (for himself, Mr. Miller of California, Mr. Vento, Mr. 
     Romero-Barcelo, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. 
     Abercrombie, Mr. Pickett, Mr. Ortiz, Ms. Christian-Green, Mr. 
   Faleomavaega, and Mr. Hinchey) submitted the following concurrent 
      resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of the Congress that the health, safety and 
  general welfare of the residents of the Nation's coalfields should 
  continue to be enhanced by the implementation of the Surface Mining 
  Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 by State and Federal regulatory 
authorities, and that Congress hereby reaffirms the goals of the Act on 
               its twentieth anniversary, August 3, 1997.

Whereas under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 residents 
        of the Nation's coalfields are endowed with the following inalienable 
        rights:
            (1) That their private property rights be fully protected from 
        incursions by improper surface and underground coal mining practices 
        undertaken in a manner not in full compliance with the Surface Mining 
        Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, including, but not necessarily 
        limited to, the following--
                    (A) protection against damage to their homes, farms, water 
                supplies and places of business due to subsidence of the land 
                surface caused by improperly planned or implemented underground 
                coal mining practices,
                    (B) protection against damage to their homes, farms and 
                places of business due to improper blasting practices engaged in 
                at nearby or adjacent surface coal mining operations, and
                    (C) protection against damage to their homes, farms and 
                places of business due to the improper disruption of the 
                topographical features of off-permit site areas, giving rise to 
                landslides, erosion and attendant air and water quality 
                deterioration;
            (2) That the health, safety and general welfare of coalfield 
        citizens must not be diminished, or threatened, by the failure of State 
        and Federal regulatory authorities to fully and properly implement 
        provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 
        applicable to surface and underground coal mining operations;
            (3) That the right of coalfield citizens to enjoy the recreational 
        values of rivers and streams not be diminished by acidic or toxic water 
        pollution due to improperly controlled surface and underground coal 
        mining practices; and
            (4) That coal operators, as citizens of the Nation's coalfields, 
        deserve equal protection under the Surface Mining Control and 
        Reclamation Act of 1977 against predatory polices which may be advanced 
        on the State level aimed at providing a competitive advantage for coal 
        producers in one State over those producers in a neighboring State: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Congress that the health, 
safety and general welfare of the residents of the Nation's coalfields 
should continue to be enhanced by the implementation of the Surface 
Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 by State and Federal 
regulatory authorities, and that Congress hereby reaffirms the goals of 
the Act on its twentieth anniversary, August 3, 1977.
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