Press Releases
Committee to Consider Transparent Airfares Act and Bill to Prevent EPA Revocation of Approved PermitsThe Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), will mark up the following legislation at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building:
H.R. 524 addresses EPA’s extraordinary action of revoking a federal permit which had been issued years prior and setting a disturbing precedent that could have dramatic economic impacts. In 2007, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Clean Water Act permit for the Spruce No. 1 Mine project in West Virginia. EPA raised objections prior to that, but allowed the permit to go forward. However, in September 2009, the Obama Administration informed the Corps it planned to revoke parts of the permit, and finalized the revocation in January 2011. A district court judge issued an opinion in 2012 that accused the EPA of resorting to “magical thinking” to justify its logic for retroactively vetoing the project. However, last April the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned the district court ruling that EPA exceeded its authority. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court determined it would not review the 2013 Appeals Court decision. Click here for more information. H.R. 4156 returns transparency to U.S. airfare advertising by allowing advertisements for passenger air travel to state the base airfare and separately disclose any government imposed taxes and fees and the total cost of travel. This bill ensures that airfare advertisements are not forced to hide the costs of government from consumers. Click here for more information. More information, including legislative text and a live webcast link, will be available here. # # # |