The spectre of coal’s cracking foundation in Wyoming brought hundreds of miners and community leaders to Casper this week to testify before federal officials about the future of the federal coal leasing program. Friends of Coal held a rally just before the Department of the Interior’s public meeting, where speakers railed against what they see as a political agenda to kill the U.S. coal industry with unnecessarily burdensome regulations. The Interior announced in January a moratorium on future coal leasing while it conducts a 3-year review of the program, which may incorporate considerations for coal’s climate impact in future federal actions. Nearly 500 coal mining jobs in Wyoming have been cut so far this year as three coal producers reorganize under bankruptcy.
Leave a Reply