The Biden administration has announced a major decision to block new mining in key regions that produce nearly half of the country's coal, citing concerns about climate change, but President-elect Trump is expected to rein in U.S. energy control. That may not last long either, as it prepares to become its main focus. The next government.
The Biden administration's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently banned new federal coal leases, making 48.12 billion short tons of coal unavailable for lease consideration to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. approved an amendment to the Resource Management Plan (RMP). They are agents of climate change,” said BLM Buffalo Field Manager Todd D. Yeager.
The decision would block new federal mining leases in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, the country's largest coal-producing region, by 2041. This region produces approximately 40% of the nation's coal. However, BLM will be able to continue to develop existing coal leases.
In a statement to Fox News Digital about the decision, the Trump transition team reinforced the idea of the president-elect's campaign promise to strengthen American-made energy.
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During his campaign, President-elect Trump pledged to make securing America's energy dominance a top priority in his second term. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Families have suffered from America's energy wars over the past four years, which have caused the worst inflation crisis in a generation.Voters re-elected President Trump by a wide margin and vowed to follow through on the promises he made during his campaign. “This includes lowering energy costs for consumers,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said in a statement.
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Mr. Levitt added that President Trump will “make America energy dominant again, protect energy jobs, and lower the cost of living for working families.”
The Powder River Basin leasing ban, which covers portions of southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming, includes making more than 1.7 million acres within the Miles City Field Office planning area unavailable for coal leasing. There is.
The BLM memo asserted that “the U.S. energy market is transitioning away from coal and toward lower-cost natural gas and renewable energy sources.” But representatives of affected states say the area is a vital natural energy resource.
Private and public lands in the Tongue River and Powder River regions of northern Wyoming near the Montana border. (William Campbell/Getty Images)
The decision was widely criticized by elected officials in Montana and Wyoming, including Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who said he would introduce legislation to overturn the decision.
“The Biden administration has launched attack after attack on energy produced in Montana, and people in Montana and other states have called it out at the polls,” Daines said. he said in a statement. decision. “…Eastern Montana is rich in coal and mining operations, and the jobs and coal produced in the Powder River Basin help support our national security, strengthen our energy grid, and create high-wage jobs. .”
“The Biden-Harris administration is once again ignoring our state and paralyzing our energy supplies,” Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte of Mont. said in a statement. “Montana supports an 'all of the above' energy strategy, but the White House is picking winners and losers with the president out of office. Simply put, this rule will destroy coal jobs in Montana.” And it would cut off funding for public education, which is a disaster.”
A natural gas drilling rig on federal land in the Powder River Basin. (William F. Campbell/Getty Images)
“President Biden continues to punish communities in Wyoming after the American people delivered this stunning rebuke to him,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said in a statement. . “I will work with President Trump and his team to repeal this and other late-night regulations.”
The BLM memo said the administration was blocking coal leasing to support Biden's goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, adding, This suggests that there is a shift towards lower prices towards natural gas and renewable energy sources.
Environmental justice group Earth Justice also argued that the mining ban was due to evolving approaches to energy production.
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“Coal has sustained our nation for decades, but technology, economics, and markets are fundamentally changing. BLM's announcement recognizes that the era of coal is coming to an end. , that the time has come to focus on transitioning away from coal, investing in workers, and supporting communities through investing in workers. “We are working to heal our land, water, and climate as we usher in a bright clean energy future,” Biden said after announcing his original plan in May. Western Resource Council Board Chair Paula Antoine said in an Earth Justice press release.
