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H.R. 526: Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act

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H.R. 526: Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act

113th Congress · introduced 2013-02-06 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2013-02-06 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act

Plain summary

Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act or ACHE Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to conduct or support comprehensive studies on the health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining on individuals in the surrounding communities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), upon receipt of a report on study results, to publish a determination of whether such mining presents any health risks to individuals in those communities. Defines "mountaintop removal coal mining" as surface coal mining that uses blasting with explosives in the steep slope regions of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia. Prohibits issuance of an authorization for any mountaintop removal coal mining project (or expansion), under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, until and unless the Secretary publishes a determination that such mining does not present any health risk to individuals in the surrounding communities. Imposes requirements for continuous monitoring of air, noise, and water pollution and frequent monitoring of soil until a determination by the Secretary is made. Directs the President, acting through the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement of the Department of the Interior, to assess a one-time fee upon persons that conduct such mining projects, sufficient to cover the federal cost of the health studies and pollution monitoring required by this Act.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3] · 46 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Judy Chu (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Joe Courtney (D-CT), André Carson (D-IN), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), William R. Keating (D-MA)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong113-hr526 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113