The Biden administration announced a big decision blocking new mining in a key region that produces nearly half of the country’s coal due to climate change concerns, but this could be short-lived as President-elect Trump prepares to make U.S. energy dominance a key focus of his new administration to make.
Biden’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently approved an amendment to the Resource Management Plan (RMP) to ban new federal coal leases and “make 48.12 billion short tons of coal unavailable for leasing, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ) to reduce. a proxy for climate change,” said Todd D. Yeager, BLM Buffalo field manager.
The decision will block all new federal mining leases in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, the nation’s largest coal-producing region, by 2041. This region produces about 40% of the country’s coal. However, BLM will allow existing coal leases to continue to be developed.
In a statement to Fox News Digital about the decision: Trump’s transition team reinforced the idea of the president-elect’s campaign promise to strengthen American-made energy.
FEDERAL JUDGE LOOKS AT SPACEX AFTER ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP BANDED TO STOP MISSILE LAUNCHES
President-elect Trump pledged to make ensuring U.S. energy dominance a top priority during his second term in office. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Families have suffered from the war on American energy over the past four years, which has led to the worst inflation crisis in a generation. Voters re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to keep the promises he made during the campaign. including reducing energy costs for consumers,” Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Trump-Vance Transition, said in a statement.
FEDERAL COURT WRONG DECADES OF ENVIRONMENTAL RULES
Leavitt added that when Trump takes office, he will “return American energy dominance, protect our energy jobs and lower the cost of living for working families.”
The Powder River Basin rental ban, which provides coverage parts of southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming includes making more than 1.7 million acres unavailable for coal leasing within the Miles City Field Office planning area.
The BLM memo claimed that “the U.S. energy market is turning away from coal toward cheaper natural gas and renewable energy sources.” But affected state representatives say the region is a vital natural energy source.
Private and public lands in the Tongue River and Powder River areas of northern Wyoming, near the Montana border. (William Campbell/Getty Images)
The decision was widely criticized by elected officials from Montana and Wyoming, including Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who said he introduce legislation in an attempt to reverse the decision.
“Each time, the Biden administration launched attack after attack on made-in-Montana energy, and the people of Montana and the rest of the country rebuked the administration for it at the ballot box,” Daines said in a statement after the 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 network and create good-paying jobs.”
“Once again, the Biden-Harris administration is ignoring states and crippling our energy supply,” Gov. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., said in a statement. “While Montana supports an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy, the White House picks winners and losers as the president leaves the office. Simply put, this rule will destroy coal mine jobs and discourage public education in Montana. a disaster.”
A natural gas drilling rig on federal land in the Powder River basin. (William F. Campbell/Getty Images)
“After the American people delivered a stunning rebuke to President Biden, he continues to punish Wyoming communities,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said in a statement. “I will work with President Trump and his team to roll back this and other midnight regulations.”
The BLM memo states that the administration is blocking coal leasing to support Biden’s goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, suggesting that “the U.S. energy market is turning away from coal toward cheaper natural gas and renewables.”
Earth Justice, an environmental justice group, also argued that the mining bans stemmed from an evolving approach to energy production.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Coal has been the driving force behind our nation for decades, but technology, economics and markets are radically changing. BLM’s announcement recognizes that the age of coal is coming to an end, and it’s time to focus on supporting our communities during the transition away from coal, by investing in workers and moving toward bettering our country, our waters and the climate as we move toward a bright clean energy future,” Paula Antoine, board chair of the Western Organization of Resource Councils, said in an Earth Justice press release after Biden announced his initial plans in May.
