{"id":374567,"date":"2025-04-10T16:01:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=374567"},"modified":"2025-04-10T16:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:01:33","slug":"the-department-of-the-interior-moves-to-restore-coal-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=374567","title":{"rendered":"The Department of the Interior Moves to Restore Coal Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Charles Rotter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Coal stockpile at the Bowie Mine #2, Delta County, June 200. Photo credit: Chris Carroll for the CGS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

[Editor\u2019s note: President Trump signed an executive order today lifting many restrictions on coal plants<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Department of Interior Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actions will restore coal industry\u2019s role in powering the economy, protecting jobs and strengthening national energy security <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

04\/08\/2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last edited 04\/08\/2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date: April 8, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2014 The Department of the Interior is reaffirming its commitment to the Trump administration\u2019s goal of American Energy Dominance with a renewed focus on coal. Through an Executive Order by President Donald J. Trump, the Department will implement a series of bold policy moves and regulatory reforms to position coal as a cornerstone of the nation\u2019s energy strategy by ensuring federally managed lands remain open and accessible for responsible energy development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Golden Age is here, and we are starting to \u2018Mine, Baby, Mine\u2019 for clean American coal,\u201d said Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.<\/strong> \u201cInterior is unlocking America\u2019s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America\u2019s natural resources and innovation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In support of the Trump administration\u2019s pursuit of Energy Dominance, the Department is actively working to revitalize the coal mining industry through a series of decisive actions. By expanding access to coal reserves, such as the recent approval of the Spring Creek mine expansion in Montana<\/a>, and streamlining permitting processes, the administration is removing long-standing regulatory barriers that have undermined American coal production. These efforts support high-paying mining jobs and rural economies, while strengthening U.S. energy independence by reducing reliance on foreign energy sources. Coal is a critical component of a secure, stable and diversified American energy portfolio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ending the coal leasing moratorium <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Department will officially end its moratorium on federal coal leasing, a move that aligns with President Trump\u2019s priority of \u201cUnleashing American Energy\u201d by reducing regulatory barriers and promoting energy independence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past nine years, the status of actions related to a federal coal leasing moratorium has been left unclear. In 2016, President Obama\u2019s Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell ordered the BLM to pause coal leasing on public lands, with a few exceptions, while the BLM completed an environmental review. In 2017, President Trump\u2019s Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, revoked the order. In 2021, President Biden\u2019s Secretary Deb Haaland rescinded Zinke\u2019s order but did not reinstate the coal leasing moratorium or environmental review. In 2024, a federal appeals court ruled that the 2021 Haaland order reversed the Zinke order, while also ending the moratorium. The court said all actions after the Haaland order were moot and ordered all other court cases dismissed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To provide clarity and certainty to the nation, the Bureau of Land Management is publishing a notice in the Federal Register<\/em> that it will not perform an environmental impact statement, or any other environmental analysis of the federal coal leasing program connected to an order from former Secretary Sally Jewell, effectively and finally ending the last remaining open item related to the leasing moratorium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reopening federal lands in Montana and Wyoming to coal leasing <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In further support of coal leasing, the BLM will pursue the amendment process to the Buffalo and Miles City resource managements plans in Wyoming and Montana. Under the current plans, future coal leasing is heavily restricted, making it much harder for new federal coal projects to get off the ground. Over time, these plans could significantly reduce the availability of federal coal reserves in two of the country\u2019s biggest coal-producing regions. By revising these plans, Interior would create a path forward to access untapped federal coal reserves, especially in high-production areas like the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Removing regulatory burdens for coal mines <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In accordance with Secretary\u2019s Order 3418, Unleashing American Energy<\/a>, the Office of Surface Mining and Enforcement will undertake a rulemaking process to revise the Ten-Day Notice Rule of 2024 to largely revert to the 2020 version of the rule, while retaining certain portions of the 2024 rule. This rule making process will help reduce burdensome federal oversight and give more power to the states on how to handle complaints about coal mining violations. By removing some of federal overreach of the 2024 rule, the Department will trust states to do their jobs while avoiding unnecessary federal interference and providing stability to the coal industry.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing royalty rate relief <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Department is poised to streamline and speed up the process for reviewing coal producers\u2019 requests to temporarily lower the amount they pay the federal government for extracting coal from public lands. Lower royalty rates can help keeps mines open and maintain local tax revenue.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By expediting royalty relief requests, Interior aims to make it easier for coal operators to stay in business, which supports stable domestic energy production and maximizes long-term resource recovery from federal lands.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Department works through the actions above to support the coal industry by continuing to roll back unnecessary regulatory burdens, Interior will advance responsible coal development, high-paying job creation and long-term energy security by opening access to America\u2019s vast energy resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actions will restore coal industry\u2019s role in powering the economy, protecting jobs and strengthening national energy 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\"coal\"","block_context":{"text":"coal","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=coal"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0Screenshot-2025-11-04-185955.png?fit=1200%2C516&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0Screenshot-2025-11-04-185955.png?fit=1200%2C516&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0Screenshot-2025-11-04-185955.png?fit=1200%2C516&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0Screenshot-2025-11-04-185955.png?fit=1200%2C516&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0Screenshot-2025-11-04-185955.png?fit=1200%2C516&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 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