Stream Protection
On January 31, the House passed, 228 to 194, a resolution to prevent the implementation of the Interior Department Stream Protection Rule, also known as the Stream Buffer Rule. The Senate followed suit on February 2 by a vote of 54 to 45, sending the measure to President Trump for his signature. The controversial Obama Administration rule updated a 1983 rule and sought to limit polluted runoff from surface coal mining into nearby water sources. When it released the final regulation in December 2017, the Interior Department argued that the updated version incorporates current science, technology, and modern mining practices…
