Coal Jobs Protection Act of 2014
Latest action. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 449.
Coal Jobs Protection Act of 2014 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state acting pursuant to an equivalent approved state program (permitting authority) from basing a determination on whether to approve a permit for discharges from a point source (a source of water pollution that comes from a single, discrete place, such as a pipe) on the permit applicant's adherence to guidance issued by the EPA.
Authorizes an applicant, if the permitting authority does not approve or deny a substantially complete application for a new permit within 270 days after the date of receipt of an application, to discharge as if the application were approved.
Prohibits the EPA from disapproving or withdrawing approval of a state permit program under NPDES, or limiting financial assistance for the program, based on: (1) the failure of the program to incorporate or comply with EPA guidance, or (2) the implementation of a water quality standard that has been adopted by the state and approved by the EPA.
Prohibits the EPA from objecting or denying the issuance of a NPDES permit by a state based on EPA guidance or the EPA's interpretation of a water quality standard that has been adopted by the state and approved by the EPA.
(Sec. 3) Establishes deadlines for completing environmental assessments or environmental impact statements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) if they are required for permits to discharge dredged or fill material into navigable waters. Considers permits to be approved if the Army Corps of Engineers fails to act by those deadlines. Prohibits permits from being subject to judicial review if the Secretary fails to act by the deadlines.
Requires a state to concur with the EPA's determination that a discharge will result in an unacceptable adverse effect in order for the EPA to deny or restrict the specification of any defined area as a disposal site or the use of defined areas as disposal sites.
The summary continues for 5 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to House with amendment(s)" stage on September 18, 2014. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 18, 2014: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 449.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Shelley Capito (R-WV) introduced it on July 11, 2014, and 9 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 9 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 11, 2014, 4492 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4423 days ago, on September 18, 2014.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers