The Department of the Interior (DOI) approved a plan Friday that will allow for massive amounts of coal to be extracted from a mine in Montana, the agency announced.
The DOI’s action allows Signal Peak Energy, LLC to extract nearly 60 million tons of coal from the Bull Mountains Mine to expand domestic energy production in line with President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national energy emergency. Additionally, the mining plan is expected to extend the life of the mine by nine years, generate $1 billion in profit and pave the way to provide the fuel to key allies, including Japan and South Korea, according to the DOI.
“This is what energy leadership looks like,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “By unlocking access to coal in America, we are not only fueling jobs here at home, but we are also standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies abroad. President Trump’s leadership in declaring a national energy emergency is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure America’s future through energy independence and strategic exports.” (RELATED: Court Holds Up Plans For The US’s Largest Underground Coal Mine)
The plan allows for Signal Peak Energy, LLC to mine 22.8 million tons of coal for federal purposes and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal. Around 250 workers are employed at the mine, and the project is expected to benefit the national and local economies, according to the DOI.
Former President Joe Biden moved to block new federal coal mining leases in a coal-rich region of Montana and Wyoming in May 2024, an action that Republican Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte condemned as a move meant to “appease the demands of far-left activists.”
“Today’s approval of Signal Peak’s latest permit for the Bull Mountain Mine is a long-awaited victory for Montana coal miners,” Gianforte said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “In the last four years under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we witnessed an all-out war on American energy as they drug their feet and jeopardized our job-creating coal mines across the country. Without today’s action, our energy security and the jobs of over 250 hardworking miners were at risk.”
Trump signed an executive order on April 8 to revive the coal industry, and the administration moved to exempt dozens of coal-fired power plants from Biden-era regulations shortly thereafter.
“This decision reflects our commitment to balancing economic prosperity, national security, and environmental responsibility,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Adam Suess. “The Bull Mountains project is proof that we can meet urgent energy needs, work with local communities and uphold strong environmental standards.”
The DOI, the Japan and South Korean embassies and Signal Peak Energy, LLC did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
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