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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Illinois has been a leader in energy production | ||||||
3 | within the United States, in large part due to Illinois' vast | ||||||
4 | coal resources; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Illinois has the largest recoverable bituminous | ||||||
6 | coal reserves in the United States, a reserve base larger than | ||||||
7 | all but 6 countries in the world, and the ability to produce | ||||||
8 | all of America's electricity needs for 50 years; and
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9 | WHEREAS, The Illinois coal industry is currently | ||||||
10 | responsible for over $2,500,000,000 in annual economic | ||||||
11 | activity within the State, including employing approximately | ||||||
12 | 5,000 miners with an average salary of $85,000 a year, higher | ||||||
13 | than both the United States and Illinois median household | ||||||
14 | incomes; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The Illinois coal industry has faced increased | ||||||
16 | environmental regulations in the last 2 decades that resulted
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17 | in coal production going from 62 million tons of mined coal in
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18 | 1990 to a low of 31 million tons in 2003 and a loss of 6,500
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19 | direct jobs during this time period; and
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20 | WHEREAS, The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and | ||||||
21 | Enforcement within the United States Department of the Interior |
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1 | recently proposed additional environmental regulation of the | ||||||
2 | Illinois coal industry through the Draft Stream Protection Rule | ||||||
3 | published in the federal register on July 27, 2015; and
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4 | WHEREAS, The proposed Draft Stream Protection Rule would | ||||||
5 | affect surface mines, underground mines, and ancillary | ||||||
6 | facilities located in every coal producing state; and
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7 | WHEREAS, The proposed Stream Protection Rule would amend, | ||||||
8 | modify, or revise over 450 provisions of the existing | ||||||
9 | regulatory program, affecting literally every substantive and | ||||||
10 | procedural aspect of the mine permitting process under the | ||||||
11 | Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977; the | ||||||
12 | proposed rule would also add entirely new definitions, | ||||||
13 | substantive and procedural requirements, and prohibitions | ||||||
14 | affecting surface mines, underground mines, and ancillary | ||||||
15 | facilities; in total, the proposed rule exceeds 2,000 pages of | ||||||
16 | changes, additions, explanations, regulatory impact analyses | ||||||
17 | and environmental assessments, not including countless studies | ||||||
18 | that are cited but not provided; and
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19 | WHEREAS, The coal industry, the Illinois Department of | ||||||
20 | Natural Resources, and other stakeholders need sufficient time | ||||||
21 | to determine how the rule would affect the State's primary and | ||||||
22 | exclusive regulatory authority and additional technical | ||||||
23 | resources required under the Surface Mining Control and |
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1 | Reclamation Act of 1977; and
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2 | WHEREAS, All stakeholders must be given the opportunity to | ||||||
3 | determine the affect the rule would have on existing mines and | ||||||
4 | their respective employees as well as on State programing, | ||||||
5 | resources, and current permitting delays; currently, the State | ||||||
6 | of Illinois has a backlog of approximately 2 years on coal mine | ||||||
7 | permits; the backlog has negatively impacted the operation of | ||||||
8 | existing Illinois coal mines and the potential for coal mining | ||||||
9 | expansion which has caused increased unemployment in the State | ||||||
10 | of Illinois; and
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11 | WHEREAS, The Draft Stream Protection Rule required more | ||||||
12 | than 6 years to develop and included a lack of consultation | ||||||
13 | with stakeholders during that time period and yet the | ||||||
14 | Department of Interior will only allow 60 days for public | ||||||
15 | comment; and
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16 | WHEREAS, The Department of the Interior must provide the | ||||||
17 | Illinois coal industry, the Illinois Department of Natural | ||||||
18 | Resources, and other stakeholders sufficient time to respond to | ||||||
19 | the Stream Protection Rule which would have a sweeping and | ||||||
20 | monumental impact on the Illinois coal industry; therefore, be | ||||||
21 | it
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22 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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1 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
2 | that we urge the United States Department of the Interior to | ||||||
3 | provide a comment period of no less than 180 days for public | ||||||
4 | participation in and comment on the proposed Draft Stream | ||||||
5 | Protection Rule; and be it further
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6 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
7 | delivered to Governor Bruce Rauner, the Illinois Congressional | ||||||
8 | delegation, the Director of the Office of Surface Mining | ||||||
9 | Reclamation and Enforcement of the United States Department of | ||||||
10 | the Interior, and all the members of the General Assembly.
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