Biden blocks new coal mining leases where 40% of nation’s coal is produced

The Biden-Harris administration has put the nation’s coal supply in jeopardy by announcing a ban on new mining in a region that produces 40 percent of the US total. But it might be the last gasp of the administration’s war on coal with President-elect Donald Trump eyeing the energy independence that his last presidency achieved.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently changed the Resource Management Plan (RMP) to ban new federal coal leases and make "48.12 billion short tons of coal unavailable for leasing consideration in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a proxy for climate change," according to Todd D. Yeager, BLM Buffalo field manager. The decision will stop the issuance of federal mining leases in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, where 40 percent of the nation’s coal is mined. Existing leases for mining coal are safe for the moment from being revoked, Fox News reported.

Trump’s transition team was quick to remind Americans that the president-elect is a firm believer in supporting American energy.

"Families have suffered under the past four years' war on American energy, which prompted the worst inflation crisis in a generation. Voters re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, including lowering energy costs for consumers," Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition spokeswoman, told Fox News in a statement. Leavitt added that the incoming Trump administration "will make America energy dominant again, protect our energy jobs, and bring down the cost of living for working families."

The Powder River Basin lease ban would affect parts of Wyoming and Montana. In April, the Biden-Harris administration’s Environmental Protection Agency said it plans to slash pollution from natural gas and coal-fired power plants by 90 percent by 2039 and effectively eliminate coal-fired power plants. There are about 42,000 Americans working in the coal industry.

The BLM noted that the "U.S. energy market is moving away from coal to lower priced natural gas and renewable energy sources." But that’s not how lawmakers in the area see it.

"Once again, the Biden-Harris administration is ignoring states and crippling our energy supply," Gov. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., said in a statement to Fox News. "While Montana supports an 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy, the White House is picking winners and losers on the president's way out the door. Simply put, this rule will destroy coal jobs and defund public education in Montana. It's a disaster."