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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
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
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
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
15		WHEREAS, The Illinois coal industry has faced increased
16		environmental regulations in the last 2 decades that resulted
17		in coal production going from 62 million tons of mined coal in
18		1990 to a low of 31 million tons in 2003 and a loss of 6,500
19		direct jobs during this time period; and
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.