The Feds’ Lawless Attack on Powder River Basin Coal June 2024 |
From Dr. Dan Eichenbaum's Freedom Forum
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Congressional policy requires multiple-use and sustained yield of critical resources in land management practices, but the Biden administration is strangling coal production in reckless disregard of federal law.
The Biden administration is adopting a novel multiple-use criterion using greenhouse gas emissions as a proxy for climate change. The final Supplemental EIS eliminates leasable coal across 11.7 million acres of subsurface federal coal estate in eastern Montana administered by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Miles City Field Office (as shown in the map below). Also note that the Montana and Wyoming Powder River Basin accounts for 85% of the federal coal production in the nation.
The Biden administration is adopting a novel multiple-use criterion using greenhouse gas emissions as a proxy for climate change. The final Supplemental EIS eliminates leasable coal across 11.7 million acres of subsurface federal coal estate in eastern Montana administered by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Miles City Field Office (as shown in the map below). Also note that the Montana and Wyoming Powder River Basin accounts for 85% of the federal coal production in the nation.
The Buffalo Field Office in Wyoming also issued a final supplemental EIS which adopts a no-leasing alternative. Both of these regions within the Powder River Basin in concert with this administration's power plant rule would effectively shut down coal production and coal energy plants by 2041. The charts below show a comparison between alternatives in the phase out of millions of short tons of coal for the Buffalo Field Office.
The BLM’s decision would shut off leasable coal estate and allow current mining out to the year 2041. The no-action alternative which is the 2019 decision, would provide sustained yield of this important mineral estate out to the year 2338. See chart below.
The Federal Land Management and Policy Act requires BLM to administer public lands in recognition of the need for domestic sources of minerals, and the mineral estate makes up one of the 6 principal and major uses of public lands under the Act. The question is, by what authority can BLM totally eliminate one of the principal and major uses of federal lands throughout these planning regions? Congressional policy requires multiple-use and sustained yield of these critical resources for the benefit of present and future generations of these critical resources.
Shorts
Shorts
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