Thank you, Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Holt, and members of the Committee. I am Karen Harbert, President and CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy (Institute), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation, representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.
The mission of the Institute is to unify policymakers, regulators, business leaders, and the American public behind common sense energy strategy to help keep America secure, prosperous, and clean. In that regard we hope to be of service to this Committee, this Congress as a whole, and the administration.
I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the Spruce No. 1 mine (Spruce Mine) permit revocation and the potential impact to capital investment and jobs. First, I would like to clarify that this is not about mining, and specifically whether strip mining should be permitted under federal law. This is not about whether coal which supplies 40 percent of our electricity should or shouldn’t be part of our energy mix. This case is about the rule of law and regulatory certainty and the type of regulatory regime that the law allows for and that we wish to have in the United States. Even more fundamentally, the outcome of this case will signal whether America is open for business and safe for long term investment.
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