WASHINGTON, DC - At today’s Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing on “U.S. Energy Abundance: Regulatory, Market, and Legal Barriers to Export," Jennifer Moyer, Acting Chief of the Regulatory Program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, testified that the Corps has decided against issuing a single, regional Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential cumulative impacts of all three proposed coal export facilities in the Pacific Northwest: the Morrow Pacific Project, the Millennium Bulk Terminals, and Gateway Pacific Terminal. Notably, Moyer also stated that weighing the climate change impacts of burning U.S. coal abroad was beyond the scope of the Corps’ review of these projects.
Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) issued the following statement in response to Moyer’s testimony:
“I commend the Corps for making this commonsense decision in favor of jobs. By rejecting environmentalist proposals to conduct a single and all-encompassing EIS, the Corps has signaled that each coal export facility will now be fairly and independently considered based on the merits of the project. Environmental groups have attempted to block these job-creating projects by interfering with the permitting process and broadening the scope of law’s reach. These proposed projects will contribute significantly to economic growth and job creation, and it is clear the Corps made the right call."
