The US Senate voted 54-45 [roll call] on Thursday in favor of a resolution [text, PDF; HJ Res 38] to end a coal mining rule put in place by the Obama administration. The Senate, under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) [CRA overview], passed a resolution [The Hill report] that ends the Stream Protection Rule (SPR) [materials]. The CRA gives Congress the power to undo rules shortly after they have been finalized. Through the SPR, the Department of Interior regulated coal firms requiring them to clean up waste from mountain top removal mining in an effort to prevent it from going into local waterways. The coal industry has argued that this regulation placed a tremendous financial burden on them and kills jobs. The bill had previously passed the House 228-194 and is now before President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign the measure.

The new regulation was promulgated by the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). The regulation was announced towards the end of December. The OSMRE stated [press release] that the SPR was enacted to “improve the balance between environmental protection and providing for the Nation’s need for coal as a source of energy.” Two days after the regulation was announced, Murray Energy Corporation filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] in an attempt to block the rule [JURIST report]. The company claimed that not only did the OSMRE not have the authority to enact such a rule under the Surface Mining Control and Regulation Act [text, PDF], but that the rule would also cripple the coal industry and communities relying on it.