On January 15, 2016, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell issued a Secretarial Order initiating a programmatic review of federal coal policies and management. As over 40% of the coal mined in the United States is publicly-owned, the review is … Continued
On March 14, the Powder River Basin Resource Council, WORC, and The Wilderness Society filed motions in Wyoming federal district court to intervene in litigation brought by Cloud Peak Energy against the Department of the Interior’s federal coal royalty valuation … Continued
The Department of the Interior’s Office of Natural Resource Revenue (ONRR) has stayed implementation of a new rule regarding how royalties on federal coal, oil and gas are calculated until resolution of pending litigation. A 2012 Reuters investigation revealed that … Continued
It’s been a rocky ride for coal export proposals out of the Pacific Northwest. Back in 2012, there were six coal export projects in Oregon and Washington state. This month, for the first time in six years, there are zero … Continued
Use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to rollback Obama Administration rules has been a subject of controversy since the start of the Trump Administration. The CRA is an obscure process used only one time prior to 2017. Organizations, pundits, … Continued
A family farm and ranch organization filed a motion January 13 in U.S. District Court alongside conservation groups to defend a pause in the outdated federal coal leasing program against a legal challenge. The coal leasing pause was put in … Continued
A January 11 report on the review of the federal coal program received praise from members of WORC. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the review a year ago in response to calls from citizens across the nation, including … Continued
Amid turbulent times for a coal industry in long-term decline, who cleans up the leftover coal mines? Over $3 billion in mine cleanup costs are promised through “self-bonds,” mostly in Wyoming. Today brought good news that another coal major, Arch … Continued
With politics heating up, it’s time to take a dive into how political parties approach energy policy on coal and climate change in the party platforms. Here’s a quick take on the on the party platforms of the Republicans, the … Continued
On August 9, the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (“OSMRE”) published a Policy Advisory that directs state regulatory agencies to restrict the use and approval of self-bonding. The Policy Advisory outlines three policy suggestions for states to … Continued