WildEarth Guardians

Monday, February 1, 2016
Guardians Appeals to Overturn Coal Mining in Colorado, Wyoming

Interior Department Mining Approvals Endanger Climate, Defy Obama Administration
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 437-7663

Denver—In spite of the Obama Administration’s commitment to reforming the federal coal program to protect the climate, Interior Department officials in the western U.S. are rubberstamping more mining and more global warming pollution.

“Although our nation is moving away from coal, local officials seem determined to maintain the status quo of more fossil fuels and more climate change,” said Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians’ Climate and Energy Program Director. “With the American West facing an increasingly uncertain future because of global warming, it’s time to keep our coal in the ground.”

The U.S. Department of the Interior manages publicly owned coal deposits, which are mainly located in the American West. 40% of all coal mined in the nation comes from publicly owned deposits. The mining and burning of this coal produces more than 11% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

On January 15, the Obama Administration announced a pause on the leasing of publicly owned coal and committed to undertaking reforms to safeguard the climate, protect taxpayers, and defend the public interest.

In spite the Administrations move toward reform, Interior Department officials are still opening the door for more coal mining and more global warming pollution.

In appeals filed last week, Guardians challenged the Interior’s approval of two new coal leases. One would expand Peabody Energy’s Twentymile mine (also known as Foidel Creek) in northwestern Colorado and the other would expand PacifiCorp’s Jim Bridger mine in southern Wyoming.

Coal from Twentymile is burned in the nearby Hayden power plant and coal from the Jim Bridger mine is burned in the Jim Bridger power plant, the largest coal-fired power plant in Wyoming.

In comments submitted last year, Guardians called on the Interior Department to reject the Twentymile and Bridger leases. Interior instead moved ahead, opening the door for more coal to be burned in power plants, fueling climate change.

The appeals were filed before the Interior Board of Land Appeals, an administrative review board within the Department of the Interior.

For more information on the federal coal program and publicly owned coal leasing, check out WildEarth Guardians’ series of interactive maps >>

click here >> For pictures of the Jim Bridger mine and power plant

click here >> For pictures of the Twentymile mine and Hayden power plant