Today Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced a halt on new coal leases on federal land until a comprehensive review is completed.
The main question is whether fees charged to mining companies actually provide a fair return to taxpayers and reflect coal’s impact on the environment.
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, and Representative Cynthia Lummis have released official statements following the announcement. They describe the action as an unnecessary assault on Wyoming’s economy, middle class America, and those who depend on coal for their livelihoods.
Governor Matt Mead released the following statement:
“This Administration’s attempts to suppress the use of coal have largely been through Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. The Regional Haze rule, the mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) rule, the Clean Power Plan – these are some but not all the regulations we have fought. Today’s move – imposing a moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands – goes beyond EPA regulation. It could not be more plain – in fact, it is starkly apparent – this Administration is no friend to coal when it flatly says there will be no new coal leases until some indefinite point in time.”
“The Administration’s move today is drastic and uncalled for. Not only will it hurt miners and all businesses that support coal mining, it will take away all the competitive advantage coal provides to every U.S. citizen. If there was a serious attempt to address the President’s climate change concern, the Administration should be investing, as Wyoming is investing, to make real improvements in carbon capture, sequestration and utilization technology. One such example is the Integrated Test Center which will accelerate clean coal technology, benefiting not only the industry but a great many people everywhere who rely on coal for their energy needs.”
“To the extent Administration officials have environmental concerns, our world-class reclamation efforts are here for all to see, and I invite Secretary Jewell and BLM Director Kornze to visit Wyoming coal country.”
Senator John Barrasso released the following statement:
There seems to be no limit to the number of job-crushing regulations, executive orders and insults Secretary Jewell and President Obama will throw at America’s middle class. This administration is in a full-scale war with coal communities and families.
“When rural America says President Obama has contempt for their lives and livelihoods, they mean decisions like today’s announcement. A moratorium on federal coal leasing effectively hands a pink slip to the thousands of people in Wyoming and across the West employed in coal production.
“I’m prepared to act to protect middle-class workers from this latest attempt to turn out the lights on American energy.”
Senator Mike Enzi released the following statement:
Let’s call this what it is. It’s an economic assault on Wyoming and all those in America who work in or who are associated with an industry that supplies the largest share of our electricity. This isn’t some good government efficiency measure or about trying to deliver a “fair return to American taxpayers”. That’s a sham. The president decided a long time ago he wanted to destroy the coal industry and this is about wanting to make coal more expensive and less accessible. This is nothing more than the latest tenet of what is sadly the most successful program of this president’s administration: the war on coal.
“People in my state are angry that their own president is out to destroy their livelihood. I’m saddened by it. A good Administration would not pit different sectors of American energy against each other. I would seek the best ways to make them all thrive so that America can prosper in the face of global competition and threats. Out west where federal coal is mined, there isn’t a question about the value of this program. I will fight alongside the state of Wyoming and its communities to ensure that one of our state’s most valuable resources is protected.”
Western Caucus Chairman and Wyoming Representative Cynthia Lummis released the following statement:
There is a reason President Obama waited until the last months of his presidency to sell out the American people who depend on coal for livelihoods and affordable energy: it might score political points with ideologues in Washington, but it’s a terrible, economically-devastating policy for main street Americans. The impacts are middle class workers left without jobs, a regressive tax on the poor’s energy bills, lost revenue for schools and roads, a risk of homes not being lit and warm in the winter, and America losing its global economic edge. We all expected the death throes of this Administration to be desperate for a legacy. But President Obama continues to shock with his apathy towards poor and middle class America and his malice towards coal country and the West. The end of his utterly failed presidency cannot come a moment too soon.”