01.31.17

Hoeven Joins Bipartisan Group to Introduce CRA Resolution to Repeal Stream Buffer Rule

Senator Hosted Assistant Secretary Schneider in ND, Pressed Interior Department to Work with States

WASHINGTON -- Senator John Hoeven today joined 29 of his Senate colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal the Stream Buffer Rule.

“The Stream Buffer Rule is a one-size-fits-all regulation that doesn’t account for any differences in mining techniques, land reclamation and geography,” Hoeven said. “It threatened to pile costs on our energy producers, eliminating jobs and driving up prices for consumers without providing additional environmental benefits in many regions around the country. That’s why I brought Assistant Secretary Schneider to North Dakota, to press the Obama administration to work with the states and allow flexibility. Repealing this rule will ensure states can continue to lead in protecting water quality without adversely affecting jobs and the economy.”

The previous administration finalized the rule in December, which, like the proposed rule, was primarily based on mining practices used in the Appalachian region. Prior to this, Hoeven hosted Janice Schneider, Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Interior Department, in North Dakota to show her firsthand the impact of the agency’s proposed rule, which threatens thousands of jobs in 22 states, and to press for a states-first approach to the rule.

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