Market forces have battered the coal industry for years. When the country’s three largest coal mining companies entered bankruptcy over the past 18 months, no one was sure they would emerge. WORC leaders and staff engaged in all three bankruptcy … Continued
Voters in Canada’s southwestern-most province went to the polls recently to elect a new government. In the final weeks, the race took an unexpected turn that may have major implications for U.S. coal exports. In a surprise move, incumbent Premier … Continued
Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke’s proposal to repeal the coal royalties rule, or Valuation Rule, for public minerals will be costly to states and tribes and the American public, according to five United States senators in a letter sent early this … Continued
I do love life’s little ironies. “The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum is switching to solar power,” CNN reported the other day. “The museum, which memorializes Kentucky’s history in coal mining, is modernizing with a new form of cheaper energy.” That … Continued
The Interior Department has stumbled all over itself in its enthusiasm to serve the wishes of Cloud Peak Energy, the American Petroleum Institute, and a handful of other fossil fuel companies and trade organizations when it comes to the coal … Continued
On Tuesday afternoon, March 28, the president signed a sweeping Executive Order in an attempt to roll back protections for clean air, clean water, American taxpayers, and the global climate that were put in place under the Obama Administration. There’s … Continued
The epic battle to defeat the Tongue River Railroad and what we can learn from it today Quite a few folks associate Northern Plains Resource Council with the Tongue River Railroad. It’s a huge part of our history – Northern … Continued
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