[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9295-9296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   THE TRUE COST OF COAL ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 17, 2013

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to re-introduce the True 
Cost of Coal Act, a bill that would address the negative impacts of 
coal transportation on both the local communities and American 
taxpayers.
   Currently, plans are underway to develop coal export facilities in 
the Pacific Northwest that would exponentially increase the volume of 
coal being exported out of the region. The three proposed terminals--
Gateway Pacific and Millennium Bulk Terminals in Washington and Morrow 
Pacific Project in Oregon--would export over 100 million tons of 
additional coal per year. For a sense of scale, the U.S. coal exports 
in their entirety totaled 125 million tons in 2012. The new terminals 
would nearly double that total.
   With these new plans come considerable burdens on the rail 
communities through which the coal would be transported, including 
environmental and public health considerations, worsening traffic 
congestion, and noise pollution, among others. However, without 
legislation like this, the taxpayers will be largely responsible for 
these costs. After all, coal and train companies are currently under no 
obligation to pay for mitigating the effects of transporting coal. 
That's why I am once again introducing legislation to hold them 
accountable for the costs that their activities incur.
   According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), the average 
price per ton of coal exports in 2012 was $118 per ton; the EIA also 
estimates that in 2012 the cost to ship coal from the Powder River 
Basin to the Pacific Northwest was only about $20 per ton.
   The True Cost of Coal Act of 2013 will impose a 10 dollar per ton 
excise tax on all extracted coal. This money will be used to mitigate 
the negative impacts of coal transportation and ensure the true cost of 
coal is paid for by the responsible parties--not the local communities 
and American taxpayers. The money is allocated to the affected States, 
who are in the best position to determine how best to use their funds. 
The Act also requires that trains transporting coal be covered or 
treated to ensure that no coal dust is released during transportation.

[[Page 9296]]

   I have long been a champion of preserving the clean air and water 
that Washingtonians cherish. I am pleased to be continuing that work 
and hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation.

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