[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 126 (Tuesday, October 1, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6877-H6878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING FOR FULL APPROPRIATION OF STATE AND TRIBAL SHARES OF ABANDONED
MINE RECLAMATION FUND
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 425) calling for the full
appropriation of the State and tribal shares of the Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Fund.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 425
Whereas the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977 (33 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.) created the Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Fund capitalized with a reclamation fee assessed
on every ton of domestic coal production, for the purposes of
protecting the environment by restoring lands and waters
adversely affected by past mining practices;
Whereas under the Act, each State and Indian tribe having a
federally approved abandoned mine reclamation program is to
be allocated 50 percent of the reclamation fees collected in
such State, or collected with respect to Indian lands under
the jurisdiction of such tribe, respectively, subject to
appropriations;
Whereas by the end of March 2002, $6,400,000,000 in
reclamation fees had been deposited into the Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Fund, but only $5,000,000,000 had been
appropriated from the fund, leaving an unappropriated balance
of $1,400,000,000;
Whereas by the end of March 2002, the State and tribal
share of the unappropriated balance in the Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Fund was $876,000,000;
Whereas--
(1) the State of Alabama should have received $15,000,000
of the unappropriated balance in the Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Fund;
(2) the State of Alaska should have received $1,800,000 of
such unappropriated balance;
(3) the State of Arkansas should have received $4,000 of
such unappropriated balance;
(4) the State of Colorado should have received $19,300,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(5) the State of Illinois should have received $26,000,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(6) the State of Iowa should have received $38,000 of such
unappropriated balance;
(7) the State of Kansas should have received $393,000 of
such unappropriated balance;
(8) the State of Kentucky should have received $109,800,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(9) the State of Louisiana should have received $1,100,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(10) the State of Maryland should have received $2,600,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(11) the State of Missouri should have received $901,000 of
such unappropriated balance;
(12) the State of Montana should have received $39,800,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(13) the State of New Mexico should have received
$18,200,200 of such unappropriated balance;
(14) the State of North Dakota should have received
$10,200,000 of such unappropriated balance;
(15) the State of Ohio should have received $21,500,000 of
such unappropriated balance;
(16) the State of Oklahoma should have received $1,900,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(17) the State of Pennsylvania should have received
$51,600,000 of such unappropriated balance;
(18) the State of Texas should have received $17,300,000 of
such unappropriated balance;
(19) the State of Utah should have received $12,300,000 of
such unappropriated balance;
(20) the State of Virginia should have received $23,200,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(21) the State of West Virginia should have received
$107,400,000 of such unappropriated balance;
(22) the State of Wyoming should have received $323,900,000
of such unappropriated balance;
(23) the Crow Tribe should have received $6,200,000
unappropriated balance;
(24) the Hopi Tribe should have received $4,700,000
unappropriated balance;
(25) the Navajo Tribe should have received $26,000,000
unappropriated balance; and
Whereas such States and tribes are being denied the use of
the unappropriated balance in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Fund for the benefit of their citizenry and their
environment: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Federal budget for fiscal year 2004
should keep faith with the goals of the Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.)
by providing to eligible States and Indian tribes their
lawful share of the unappropriated balance in the Abandoned
Mine Reclamation Fund so that they may further protect and
enhance the environments of their States and tribal lands.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs.
Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 425 encourages the
administration to pay down the debt owed to 25 States and Indian tribes
as part of their share to the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, or AMR
Fund.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend
her remarks.)
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, we support this resolution.
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 425,
I rise today to support its passage and to highlight the problem of
abandoned mines in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The industrialization of the United States was fueled largely by
Pennsylvania coal. Today, the Commonwealth still bears the scars from
centuries of mining. Acid discharge still pollutes our streams and
abandoned strip mines still make parts of Pennsylvania look like a
lunar landscape. It is sad to see our environment in such a state but
it is even more tragic that these abandoned mines pose a serious threat
to the general public. So far this year, 26 people have died as a
result of accidents at abandoned mine sites. Since January 2000, 78
individuals have died at abandoned mine sites. From hunters who have
stumbled off rock faces to the youth who drown to the nine miners who
were rescued from the Quecreek Mine after their mine was flooded by an
adjacent abandoned mine, we in Pennsylvania know all too well the
dangers these abandoned mines pose.
I applaud the gentlewoman from Wyoming, Mrs. Cubin, for introducing
H. Con. Res. 425, and my many colleagues from Pennsylvania for
cosponsoring it. The Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund was created to
erase the scars that mining has left and the Federal budget for FY 2004
should keep faith with the goals of the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 by providing to eligible states their share of
the unappropriated balance in the fund so that they may further protect
and enhance the environments of their states. Pennsylvania is
essentially owed $51.6 million from the fund and has more abandoned
mines yet to be reclaimed than any other state.
[[Page H6878]]
On August 22 of this year I toured the Keim Tunnel in Dauphin County,
one of the many abandoned mines in my district. I saw the effects it
has on nearby streams and the potential dangers it poses to the public.
In the past I have always advocated that Pennsylvania receive its full
share of the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund. I will continue this
important work and I genuinely hope that the passage of H. Con. Res.
425 will bring us one step closer to this goal.
Mr. Speaker, as we consider H. Con. Res. 425 today, we must also
remember that in the very near future we will be debating the
reauthorization of the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund. I hope that when
that time arises Members of Congress from mining states, current and
past, and non-mining states can get together and once and for all come
up with a way to get abandoned mines in states like Pennsylvania
cleaned up immediately. We owe this not only to our environment which
has been scarred but also to the many people who have been killed or
injured as a direct result of these abandoned mines.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I join in the support of this resolution.
It is no secret that for many years I have worked to liberate the
unspent balance in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund for its intended
purpose. And that is, the restoration of abandoned coal mines sites
which pose a threat to human health, safety and the environment of
coalfield residents.
The program has enjoyed success, to date, $1.4 billion worth of
public health and safety coal related problems have been addressed.
Yet, at the same time, there exists an unspent balance in the fund of
an estimated $1.9 billion as of the end of fiscal year 2002.
The expenditure of these funds is certainly need. There remains about
$2.8 billion or so worth of outstanding high priority problems.
While record keeping is sporadic, just last week the New York Times
reported there have been 78 deaths in abandoned or inactive mines since
January 2000, including 26 this year.
And the West Virginia Charleston Gazette noted in an September 13th
editorial: ``If West Virginia could simply get its share of the $1.4
billion locked up in the Abandoned Mine Lands reclamation fund,
hundreds, if not thousands, of miners oculd be put to work cleaning up
the industry's past messes.''
It should be noted that this fund is not financed by general taxpayer
dollars, but rather, from a fee assessed on every ton of mined coal.
Yet, to date, both the Administration and the Congress have failed to
keep faith to the coal producing States by making this money available
on a more sufficient basis.
I thank the gentlelady from Wyoming, the author of this resolution,
for her efforts in this matter.
I urge all Members with an interest in this issue to work with this
gentleman from West Virginia to press for greater appropriations from
the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund.
Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of and
express my strong support for House Concurrent Resolution 425, which
the gentlelady from Wyoming, Congresswoman Barbara Cubin, introduced. I
am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this important legislation.
Although more than $1.5 billion collected from coal producers and
dedicated for cleaning up our Nation's abandoned coal mine sites is
currently available for reclamation projects in Pennsylvania and
throughout the United States, these funds sit unappropriated in the
Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund. As a result, we are needlessly
postponing important reclamation work so that the federal government's
bookkeepers can offset other expenditures from the Federal budget.
In fiscal 2002, Congress appropriated $203.5 million for abandoned
mine land reclamation projects nationwide. For fiscal 2003, however,
the Administration has requested just $175.5 million for this critical
program, a cut of almost 14 percent. With an estimated total cost of
abandoned coal land reclamation at $20 billion, we need to do more to
fix this problem.
Past coal mining practices have had a devastating effect on the
environment and the economic potential of our Nation. Additionally,
this problem is widespread. In fact, more than 120 congressional
districts in 27 states, represented by both political parties, are
affected by the problem of abandoned mines. At the current rate of
expenditures for mine land cleanup, however, some of our Nation's
abandoned coal land areas will remain unreclaimed 200 years from now.
That is wrong.
To fix this problem, House Concurrent Resolution 425 would ensure
that the goals of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977 are met by providing the States with their lawful share of the
unappropriated balance of the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund. States
need these funds to revitalize their economies, restore their
environments, and protect the safety of their citizens. I therefore
commend Congresswoman Cubin for helping to bring this legislation to
the Floor.
In addition to cosponsoring this important resolution, I have
introduced a bill to establish an alternative to the trust fund. H.R.
3218, the Abandoned Mine Land Area Redevelopment Act would provide
capital to fund the health, safety, and environmental restoration and
economic redevelopment of abandoned coal mine land areas.
More specifically, my bill would allow for comprehensive regional
cleanup efforts without reliance on federal appropriations by
authorizing a qualified entity to issue special tax credit bonds.
Holders of the Abandoned Mine Land Area Redevelopment Bonds would
receive a federal tax credit in lieu of interest. Regions afflicted by
abandoned coal lands would then use the proceeds from the sale of the
bonds to design, undertake, and oversee a reclamation and redevelopment
plan.
As we have heard today, while the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund
provides much-needed resources for redeveloping areas devastated by
coal mining, these funds have proven insufficient to address all of
health, safety, and environmental problems of abandoned mine land
areas. The tax credit system established by my bill would result in the
complete restoration of our Nation's abandoned coal land areas in
roughly 30 years.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I again thank Congresswoman Cubin for
introducing House Concurrent Resolution 425, and I encourage my
colleagues to support this legislation to help our Nation's mining
communities. I also look forward to working with her and my other
colleagues to consider other innovative solutions like the Abandoned
Mine Land Area Redevelopment Act for addressing this long-standing
problem in the near future.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 425.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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