(Reuters) – The Biden administration on Thursday proposed ending future coal leasing on federal lands in Montana and Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, the country’s most prolific coal-producing region, partly because the sector’s emissions are exacerbating climate change.
The two proposals from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management are in response to a 2022 federal court ruling requiring the agency to analyze the climate and public health impacts of burning fossil fuels in its land use plans in those areas.
The plans will not affect existing leases, and production will continue at mines in Wyoming until 2041 and in Montana until 2060, the BLM said.
The agency noted a sharp decline in coal production in the region since its peak in 2008. Powder River Basin mines produced 258 million short tons of surface coal in 2022, up from 496 million in 2008, according to the Energy Information Administration. Wyoming accounts for most of this production.
Most of the Powder River Basin’s coal is used to generate electricity. The EIA projects that by 2050, U.S. coal-fired generating capacity will be less than half of its 2022 level as the country transitions to cleaner energy sources.
The decision marked a victory for environmental groups who had sued the agency to stop new coal leasing in the region.
“For years, environmental groups have fought legal battles to get to this point, arguing that the federal government cannot simply lease our public lands to coal companies while ignoring the public health impacts,” Drew Caputo said in a statement. , Earthjustice attorney. . “We are grateful that the Biden administration has the courage to end coal leasing in the Powder River Basin and finally turn the page on this climate-destroying fuel.”
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Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said the decision would cost jobs and reduce revenue his state needs for schools, roads and other services.
“President Biden continues to wage war on Wyoming’s coal communities and families,” Barrasso said in a statement.
The release of the draft plans will begin a 30-day comment period. The BLM said it will approve the plans after resolving any protests or complaints during that time.