Trump administration proposes coal leasing on public lands in Montana and Wyoming

Federal officials on July 7 disclosed a proposal to open more than 2,600 square miles of public lands in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana to coal leasing, according to The Associated Press. The plan reverses the previous administration’s effort to end coal sales in the Powder River Basin due to climate concerns.

The proposal follows an executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office. A tax bill enacted July 4 lowered royalty rates from 12.5 % to 7 % for coal mined on federal lands and mandated that up to 6,250 square miles be made available for leasing. A spokesperson for the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management declined to say how much interest the proposal might attract or how quickly new mines could open.