Today, forty-six Members of Congress sent a letter to Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) Director Joseph Pizarchik requesting an extension of the public comment period and more time for public review of OSM documents related to the Stream Protection Rule (SPR) and the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) published on July 16, 2015.  Upon release of the letter, Committee Member Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), chief sponsor of H.R. 1644, the “Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act (STREAM Act),” stated:

“The proposed Stream Protection Rule threatens thousands of good paying coal jobs across Appalachia,” said Rep Mooney. “I believe that a 120 day extension of the comment period is absolutely critical, especially given the lack of transparency and public input in the formulation of these regulations. Ultimately, these regulations must be stopped altogether.”

Click here to view the full letter.

“Given that the Proposed Rule and DEIS are the subject of multiple congressional oversight hearings and investigations, have had limited public input, and are voluminous in content, totaling over 2,500 combined pages while altering approximately 475 individual rules, OSM must extend the comment period to ensure adequate time for a review of the documents,” the letter states. “OSM has had over 2,000 days to draft this complex and overwhelming rule, yet only provided stakeholders a 60-day comment period.”