Sen. Steve Daines has vowed to introduce legislation that would reverse a recent decision by President Biden to stop new coal mining at one of the nation’s top-producing sites.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced a halt to leases and roll back approved developments in the Powder River Basin, which sits in Montana and Wyoming and produces 43% of the country’s coal, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The administration’s decision made good on a promise in May to end future coal mining leases in the area and followed a Bureau of Land Management report that found significant impacts on the climate, the environment and human health from new leases.
In its decision, the administration argued that halting new leases would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere.
According to a filing from the Bureau of Land Management, Mr. Biden’s move would halt the mining of about 48 billion tons of coal.
Current operating mining leases in the Powder River Basin, which would last until 2041, would not be affected by the administration’s move.
The incoming Trump administration, which has promised to dismantle much of Mr. Biden’s climate-geared policy, would likely torpedo the current administration’s decision.
Mr. Daines, Montana Republican, got a head start Wednesday by accusing the Biden administration of issuing the decision “in a desperate attempt to appease the far-left environmentalists.”
“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, bolster our energy grid and create high-paying jobs,” Mr. Daines said in a statement. “For that reason I will be introducing legislation to reverse this wrongheaded decision.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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