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A federal judge on Friday reinstated a moratorium on leasing coal from federal lands that had been enforced during the Obama administration.
The ban was lifted under former President Donald Trump.
US District Judge Brian Morris’s Friday ruling requires government officials to conduct a new environmental review before resuming coal sales from federal lands. The judge said the government’s previous review of the program during the Trump administration had not adequately considered the climate damage caused by the greenhouse gas emissions of coal, among other effects.
Nearly half of the nation’s annual coal production is extracted by private companies from leases on federal land, primarily in the western states, including Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado.
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A federal judge has reinstated a moratorium on leasing coal from federal lands that was imposed under former President Barack Obama and then sunk under former President Donald Trump on Friday, August 12, 2022.
Burning coal for electricity is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, despite a string of power plants closed over the past decade due to concerns about pollution and changing economic conditions.
According to government data, the coal program raised about $ 400 million to federal and state coffers in royalties and other payments last year. The program is responsible for thousands of jobs and has the support of industry representatives, congressional GOP members and officials from coal-producing states.
President Joe Biden had suspended oil and gas sales during his first week in office, though such a move was later blocked by a federal judge. And environmental groups have pushed him to take similar action against coal.
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In this Oct.16, 2014 photo, mist hovers over a mountaintop as a cutout depicting a coal miner stands at a memorial to local miners killed on the job in Cumberland, Ky.
(AP)
Last year, the Biden administration initiated a review of the climate damage caused by coal mining on federal land, increasing scrutiny over government fossil fuel sales that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. However, no changes have been announced due to this revision.
“This decision offers the Biden administration the opportunity to deliver on its commitment to seriously combat the climate crisis,” Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine, who represented environmental groups and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, said of the ruling. “No progress has been made in reforming the program or doing what is necessary to phase out existing leases.”
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In this November 9, 2010 file photo, a mine employee stands at the entrance to Signal Peak Energy’s Bull Mountain mine in Roundup, Montana.
(AP)
But National Mining Association president Rich Nolan said the industry lobby group will appeal the ruling.
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“This is a deeply disappointing decision with energy-led inflation, affordability, and energy security a major concern for Americans,” Nolan said. “Denying access to affordable and safe energy during an energy accessibility crisis is deeply concerning.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
