In front of full delegations of Montana and Wyoming leaders, President Trump Tuesday signed a series of executive orders meant to revive and expand the coal industry.
The orders direct several government agencies to explore potential coal reserves on federal lands and prioritize coal leasing as the primary use of federal lands. The orders also lift regulations and any agency policies that seek to transition the country away from coal production.
That could include a moratorium on federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin in southeastern Montana and northern Wyoming, issued by the Bureau of Land Management under the Biden Administration.
The Powder River Basin makes up about 40% of total US coal production and is home to the largest coal mines in the world. The moratorium issued last year, would stop issuing new coal leases, phasing coal mining out of the area by about 2040.
Along with being present in Washington D.C. for the signings, the Montana and Wyoming delegations were quick to praise the orders.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso called coal rocket fuel for the American economy and said, “Coal is making a comeback. Wyoming wins, America wins. But not China.”
Conservation groups sent a different message. In response to the orders Edward Barta, Chair of the Northern Plains Resource Council said, “Today’s actions by the Interior Department are aimed to benefit wealthy coal executives at the expense of everyday Montanans. These measures ignore the global energy market, which has clearly spoken in favor of more affordable, reliable, and safer renewable energy sources.”
