[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10577]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     PROTECTING AMERICAN JOBS AND SECURING AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE

  (Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the administration's war on coal 
led the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation to try and change a 
rule that would redefine what is considered a stream as it pertains to 
mining operations.
  I am pleased than an amendment I offered during the debate over the 
budget continuing resolution has been included in the Interior 
appropriations bill in an effort to stop this irresponsible regulatory 
overreach.
  No one is surprised that the Obama administration is continuing the 
war on coal, but this is also a war on jobs. And the coal industry 
employs thousands of people in eastern and southeastern Ohio.
  Mr. Speaker, we all want a cleaner environment, but we need to make 
sure that the policies being enacted are common sense and do not come 
at the expense of jobs and our economy. Stopping the Obama 
administration from rewriting the stream buffer zone rule will be a 
victory for jobs and a defeat to a radical agenda that is seeking to 
outlaw coal entirely. We can and we must enact smart policies that 
clean up our environment while protecting American jobs.

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