Speaker of the House Paul Ryan blasted President Barack Obama administration’s coal mining lease ban Friday, telling reporters the president has made clear his intent to reduce coal mining.
The newly-minted House speaker was referring to Obama’s decision Friday to ban coal leases on federal land, at least until the government can determine the impact coal mining has on the environment.
“President Obama has made it absolutely clear what he plans to do with America’s energy — keep it in the ground,” Ryan said in a statement. “Coal on federal land belongs to all Americans, but the president is denying people access to their own abundant, low-cost energy source.”
Obama, and Democrats who push anti-coal policies, Ryan continued, should expect some fight out of Republicans as the year moves along.
Other environmentalists touted the President’s decision.
“I’m glad to see the president take this action. We need to stop the sweet deal (mining companies) have been getting,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, said referring to royalty rights taxpayers are supposedly being bamboozled out of.
Coal mining hurts the environment and is costly to the economy, she added.
Ryan’s comments come less than a week after a bill delaying Obama’s stream and river regulations — which would place onerous regulations on the coal industry — was introduced by the speaker’s colleague, Republican Wisconsin Rep. Alex Mooney.
The bill eventually passed the House by a 235-188 margin and received unanimous support from House GOP members, it even had four Democrats’ votes.
Ryan said Obama’s lease ban would toss countless Americans on unemployment, and ultimately hurt the economy.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.