IV
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 119
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the health, safety and general
welfare of the residents of the Nation’s coalfields should continue to
be enhanced by the implementation of the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 by State and Federal regulatory authorities,
and that Congress hereby reaffirms the goals of the Act on its twentieth
anniversary, August 3, 1997.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 23, 1997
Mr. RAHALL (for himself, Mr. MILLER of California, Mr. VENTO, Mr. RO-
MERO-BARCELO´, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr.
ABERCROMBIE, Mr. PICKETT, Mr. ORTIZ, Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Mr.
FALEOMAVAEGA, and Mr. HINCHEY) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the health, safety
and general welfare of the residents of the Nation’s
coalfields should continue to be enhanced by the imple-
mentation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclama-
tion Act of 1977 by State and Federal regulatory au-
thorities, and that Congress hereby reaffirms the goals
of the Act on its twentieth anniversary, August 3, 1997.
Whereas under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation
Act of 1977 residents of the Nation’s coalfields are en-
dowed with the following inalienable rights:
HCON 119 IH
(1) That their private property rights be fully pro-
tected from incursions by improper surface and under-
ground coal mining practices undertaken in a manner
not in full compliance with the Surface Mining Control
and Reclamation Act of 1977, including, but not nec-
essarily limited to, the following—
(A) protection against damage to their homes,
farms, water supplies and places of business due to
subsidence of the land surface caused by improperly
planned or implemented underground coal mining
practices,
(B) protection against damage to their homes,
farms and places of business due to improper blast-
ing practices engaged in at nearby or adjacent sur-
face coal mining operations, and
(C) protection against damage to their homes,
farms and places of business due to the improper
disruption of the topographical features of off-per-
mit site areas, giving rise to landslides, erosion and
attendant air and water quality deterioration;
(2) That the health, safety and general welfare of
coalfield citizens must not be diminished, or threatened,
by the failure of State and Federal regulatory authori-
ties to fully and properly implement provisions of the
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
HCON 119 IH
applicable to surface and underground coal mining oper-
ations;
(3) That the right of coalfield citizens to enjoy the
recreational values of rivers and streams not be dimin-
ished by acidic or toxic water pollution due to improperly
controlled surface and underground coal mining prac-
tices; and
(4) That coal operators, as citizens of the Nation’s
coalfields, deserve equal protection under the Surface
Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 against
predatory polices which may be advanced on the State
level aimed at providing a competitive advantage for coal
producers in one State over those producers in a neigh-
boring State: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Congress that
the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of
the Nation’s coalfields should continue to be enhanced by
the implementation of the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 by State and Federal regulatory
authorities, and that Congress hereby reaffirms the goals
of the Act on its twentieth anniversary, August 3, 1977.
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