House passes SENSE Act, assisting coal operations
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment (SENSE) Act, H.R. 3797, by a vote of 231 to 183.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA).
The SENSE Act would ensure that environmentally beneficial coal refuse-to-energy facilities facing potentially damaging mandates by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) be allowed to continue to operate.
Coal refuse-to-energy facilities were developed to help clean up communities and recycle coal refuse by using it as an energy source to generate more cost-effective energy. As it currently stands, there are 19 coal refuse-to-energy facilities located throughout the U.S. Two EPA rules containing emissions limits, however, threaten these facilities and the jobs they provide.
“Through American ingenuity, coal refuse-to-energy plants have been developed that actually use this harmful waste product to generate electricity,” Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) said. “Unfortunately, there are two EPA rules targeting all coal-fired power plants that are causing some problems. The SENSE Act would allow these coal refuse-to-energy plants to continue operating, to the great benefit to the communities where these facilities are located.”
