WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Mining Association (NMA) today issued the following comments from Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO, on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision to ban new coal leasing in the Powder River Basin.
“At a time of deteriorating grid reliability, soaring electricity demand and ongoing concern about global energy shocks, proposing a plan of no new coal leasing in the Powder River Basin is outrageous. This damages American energy security and affordability and is a severe economic blow to mining states and communities. The NMA strongly opposes this political move, not only because it ignores the nation’s continued need for federal coal but because it also fails to acknowledge BLM’s multiple use mandate under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.”
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