WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision not to conduct a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for coal export terminals in the Pacific Northwest:

“The Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to follow the law and resist political pressure from extreme environmental activists is great news for our state and Wyoming workers.  As the permitting process for new coal export terminals moves forward, the White House should stand with the Corps and support its wise decision. With millions of unemployed Americans, the last thing Washington should do is make it harder for our state to export Powder River Basin coal and create good-paying jobs.”

Background:

Today, at a House Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing, the Army Corp of Engineers announced there was “no compelling justification for the preparation of a programmatic EIS with respect to the three proposed facilities under review…Rather, the Corps is dealing with them in its regulatory program responsibilities.  They are independent projects in different locations, whose impacts are not related.”

In August 2012, Senator Barrasso, along with Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) wrote a letter to Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, and Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, voicing their strong opposition to significantly expanding the scope of the environmental review process for port facilities in Oregon and Washington.

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