Energy and Environment

Tuesday, May 16, 2017 – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after Governor Terry McAuliffe’s announcement today. “The action outlined in the Executive Order is basically a cap and trade plan that will allow the government and radical environmentalists to punish coal mining and shut down coal-fired power plants.  Those pushing for cap and trade ignore… Read more »

America First Energy Policy An international deal the Obama Administration and environmental activists joined into has requirements that will cause the United States to voluntarily lose hundreds of thousands of jobs and significantly increase energy costs.  It’s called the Paris Agreement.  Not approved by Congress, no legal ramifications. Why did the United States… Read more »

Coal They said it wasn’t a war on coal, and They said it wasn’t the anti-coal policies.   They said it’s just the market.  Natural gas prices are just too cheap. But, with a new President and a new attitude towards the coal industry, coal is starting to see signs of revival. Norfolk Southern reported that coal earnings increased 20% in the first quarter of this… Read more »

War on Coal Ending President Trump promised to end the war on coal.  The Executive Order he signed recently is indication he intends to keep that promise.  In his order, the President directed an immediate review of the Clean Power Plan (CPP). From when the Obama Administration first announced their plan, I believed the CPP was a job-killing federal overreach.  The CPP,… Read more »

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order regarding the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan.   The White House announced that the order directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend, revise, or rescind four actions related to Obama Administration energy policies that would stifle the… Read more »

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) re-introduced the Supporting Home Owner Rights Enforcement (SHORE) Act. Under the Federal Power Act, license applicants can authorize certain uses of the project shoreline not related to power production. This bill amends the Federal Power Act to direct the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) to consider the infringement of home owner’s rights when… Read more »

Today, Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) joined President Donald Trump at the White House for the signing of H.J.Res.38 - Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule (SPR).  Congress utilized the Congressional Review Act to pass the joint resolution on February 2, 2017.  The joint resolution nullifies the SPR, which… Read more »

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today voted to disapprove the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM)’s stream rule, referred to as the “Stream Protection Rule (SPR).” The resolution of disapproval, put forward under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA), passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 228 to 194. After the House vote, he issued the… Read more »

Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) unfortunately released the final version of its Stream Protection Rule (SPR).  The Department first revealed the proposed rule in July 2015. With today’s release, the rule will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow and would therefore take effect thirty days after… Read more »

Clearing the Air at the EPA President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is welcome news. As Oklahoma’s attorney general, Pruitt has strongly pushed back against many rules and regulations coming from Washington, DC. In particular, he has led states in suing to block the EPA’s overreaching policies. Many in the media report… Read more »