Federal land larger than Delaware is approaching for sale to coal mining companies
Federal officials on Monday took the first step to reopen vast public lands in two western states as part of President Donald Trump’s push. Expanding fossil fuel production.
The Home Office proposal comes after the Biden administration, citing climate change. I tried to end the sale of fuel The Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, from the country’s most productive coal fields.
Instead, the Trump administration is considering selling leases for coal mines that amount to more than 2,600 square miles (6,800 kilometres) of federal land in the area, according to documents released by officials. It’s a larger area than Delaware.
Reversal of the development course by using public land to encourage We are struggling with the US coal industry It comes from an executive order that Trump signed on his first day in office. It’s part of Trump’s widespread push to increase the extraction of oil, gas and coal from publicly owned land and water in the US, even as a Republican. Bring back support for renewable energy project.
The tax bill signed by Trump last week reduced royalty payments for businesses mining coal on public lands from 12.5% to 7%. The bill is obligated to allow leases of 6,250 square miles (16,200 square kilometers). This is a larger area than Connecticut.
A spokesman for the Department of Interior’s Land Management Bureau said Monday’s announcement regarding the Powder River River Basin lease was preliminary and could change after the public comment period. The agency refused to say how much interest is expected in the mining company, or how quickly a new mine could open.
Ashley Burke said coal companies “have a clear interest in additional leases,” according to the National Mining Association’s association, but refused to say how much acreage they might buy.
“When we see the grid reach its limits with rising energy demand, we have to acknowledge the reality of energy, meaning it reverses previous fraudulent and punitive policies,” she said of the lease changes under Trump.
The Biden administration calculated that the end of federal coal sales will reduce emissions equivalent to 293 million tonnes (266 million tonnes) of carbon dioxide each year. According to government analysis, this is comparable to the emissions from around 63 million gasoline powered vehicles.
“Not only is the new coal chain contradicting the orders to stop climate change progress, but the coal plants used to burn coal in the Powder River Basin are more affordable and therefore are coming to the market,” Jenny Harbin came to the Environmental Law Firm Earth.
Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal are the leading drivers of human-labelled climate change, making weather more extreme, destroying wildfires more frequently, and supply is decreasing reliability.
A federal judge blocked attempts made during Trump’s first term to change the government’s management plan for the Powder River Basin, saying officials were not properly analysing the possibilities. The health effects of burning coal.
The region’s 14 active coal mines accounted for around 40% of the total US coal in 2022.
Some mines Closed In recent years, utilities have changed to less contaminating natural gas to generate electricity. The company mined 512 million tonnes (464 million tonnes) of coal in the United States last year, the lowest since 1964.
But Mining Association Burke pointed to two recent positive indicators of the industry. Exports overseas And the volume of Electricity generated Compared to the same period last year by burning coal in the first four months of 2025.