Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) sponsored H.R. 2824, the Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Act, which would nullify safeguards that prevent the dumping of dangerous mining waste into our waterways. The bill would eliminate a commonsense Reagan-era rule requiring a 100-foot buffer zone around waterways to protect them from toxic coal mining waste, and it would reinstate a 2008 rule that was recently struck down in federal court. The 2008 rule would exempt the most destructive mining practices from the buffer requirement, leaving streams and waterways vulnerable to sludge and other mining debris, especially in the Appalachian region. H.R. 2824 would also prohibit states from taking additional steps to protect communities from surface coal mining operations. On March 25, the House approved H.R. 2824 by a vote of 229-192 (House roll call vote 141). NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The Senate did not act on this legislation.