19May

Coal War Intensifies with Obama Review

Via The Hill:  Miners and Western Republicans are lining up against the Obama administration and environmentalists in what some consider the next front in the “war on coal.” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced a three-year moratorium on new coal leases on public lands in January, launching a review that could potentially result in mining companies […]
18May

Showdown Over Federal Coal Leasing Reform at Hearing

Via The Gillette News Record: CASPER — Emotions are running high in a showdown in Casper between environmentalists and the mining industry over possibly increasing federal fees to mine coal. A federal coal-lease moratorium has added uncertainty to an industry struggling with bankruptcies, layoffs and mine closures. Any changes will have a big effect on […]
17May

Speakers Decry ‘Heavy Hand of Regulation’ at BLM Coal Meeting

Via The Wyoming Business Report:  The first of six public meetings hosted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on its recent environmental assessment of the federal coal program took place in Casper today, with the many speakers criticizing federal regulations they say have helped push the coal industry into disarray, as prices have plummeted […]
17May

Op-ed: Federal Coal Leasing Doesn’t Need Major Reform

Via The Salt Lake Tribune: Many in Utah may not realize it, but coal provides roughly 75 percent of the electricity in our state. It’s no coincidence that states like Utah with high levels of coal-generated power enjoy the lowest electricity costs in the country. That low cost of electricity is good for Utah families […]
17May

Admin Referees Fight to Win ‘War on Coal’

Via E&E Publishing:  With rhetoric reaching a fever pitch, groups warring over coal’s future are getting their first chance to weigh in on the Obama administration’s review of federal leasing. The Department of the Interior’s first public scoping meeting is underway this afternoon in Casper, Wyo., four months after Interior Secretary Sally Jewell imposed a […]
16May

It’s Not the Free Market that is Killing Coal

Via Breitbart: These days, the pundits are offering a lot of different reasons why America’s coal industry is faltering: Natural gas is taking the place of coal; Demand in China has slowed; A warm El Nino winter has meant less power use. The list goes on. However, we never hear much about the big elephant […]
16May

Kentucky Right to Challenge an Anti-mining Regulation

Via The Lexington Herald-Leader: For decades, Kentucky has proudly mined the coal that fuels American industry. During World War II, coal helped fire the steel foundries and factories that built America into the “Arsenal of Democracy.” And today, with coal still supplying roughly 35 percent of U.S. power generation — more than any other single […]
16May

Keeping Coal in the Ground – What the Administration Should Hear

May 16, 2016 The Department of the Interior begins its listening sessions today in Caspar, Wyo. to hear stakeholder comments on its announced multi-year moratorium on new sales of coal leased from federal land. This is a down payment to the Sierra Club and other climate change activists who want to “keep coal in the […]
16May

Poor Justification for Obama Administration’s Coal Leasing Moratorium

Via The Hill:  In January, the Obama administration announced a three-year moratorium on the leasing of new coal reserves located on federal lands. The ostensible reason for such a moratorium, as Interior Secretary Sally Jewell subsequently explained, is to review current leasing procedures and to make sure that taxpayers receive a fair return for publicly […]