Letter Supporting the Coal Jobs Protection Act
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Republican Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Shelly Moore Capito
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Leader McConnell and Congresswoman Capito:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations, and dedicated to promoting, protecting, and defending America’s free enterprise system, strongly supports the soon to be introduced “Coal Jobs Protection Act,” which would make sensible reforms to the Clean Water Act (CWA) permitting process.
To help spur investment and ensure economic development, the Chamber strongly supports certainty in the permitting process. A lack of certainty in the permitting process can lead to delays on projects and, in some instances, stop projects all together. This bill would provide much needed certainty in the CWA permitting process that so many business are dependent upon. At the same time, the bill would strike the balance of improving the permitting process to ensure that delays are minimized, while preserving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ and EPA’s respective roles in the permitting process.
The Coal Jobs Protection Act would require the EPA to approve or veto 402 permit applications within 270 days of application. If the EPA does not act on the permit application within that time frame, then the permit moves forward and is deemed approved.
The bill would preserve the EPA’s role in the CWA 404(c) process and ensure that states have an active and equal role in the permitting veto process. The bill would also prevent the EPA from using their controversial CWA guidance regarding identification of waters protected by the Clean Water Act.
The Chamber commends you for your leadership on this important issue and looks forward to working with you to advance this legislation.
Sincerely,
R. Bruce Josten
Related Links
- National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ground-Level Ozone
- Letter on H.R. 7, the “American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012”
- U.S. Chamber President Calls for Increased Development of America’s Energy Resources at Global Business Forum
- Speech on Global Business Forum—Building Foundations on Shifting Sands, Remarks by Thomas J. Donohue President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Key Vote Letter on H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005
- H.R. 6, The Clean Energy Act of 2007
- Letter Opposing Bingaman Amendment to S. 1419, the "Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007"
- U.S. Chamber Commends EPA for Efforts to Improve Transparency