WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-5) voted in favor of H.R. 3797, the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment (SENSE) Act.
The legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 231 to 183, addresses U.S. Department of Environmental Protection (EPA) regulations placed on coal refuse-to-energy, or waste coal, power plants across the nation. The majority of those plants, 14 of 19, are located in Pennsylvania.
“The SENSE Act will ensure that waste coal plants can continue to provide affordable electricity to our region, while having the environmental benefit of cleaning up abandoned mining sites,” said Thompson, who is also an original co-sponsor of the bill.
“It is estimated that the work done at cleanup sites has removed more than 200 million tons of waste coal, at no expense to taxpayers.”
H.R. 3797 seeks to address over-regulation from the EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. Under the provisions, facilities are still expected to achieve substantial declines in emissions, while also removing coal refuse.
“The current EPA regulations have placed hundreds of family-supporting jobs across Pennsylvania at risk,” Thompson said.
“This common sense bill ensures that the important work of land reclamation in mining areas can continue across the Commonwealth, while meeting the energy needs of our region.”
