Sen. John Barrasso - Ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Sen. John Barrasso - Ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY) have urged Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to rescind an update to the Buffalo Field Office Resource Management Plan that would halt future coal leasing in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin.
"BLM’s proposed amendment would have a severe impact on Wyoming. Revenue from federal coal leases funds K-12 public education, infrastructure, and other essential services. BLM’s own analysis acknowledges that ending coal leasing jeopardizes thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to the state. Eliminating these jobs and revenue would have a devastating effect on the people, families, and communities of Wyoming," wrote the lawmakers.
The letter expressed strong opposition to the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) proposed amendment, highlighting its potential negative effects on Wyoming's economy and electric reliability nationwide. The delegation emphasized that approximately 40 percent of all coal mined in the United States comes from Wyoming, primarily from federal lands in the Powder River Basin.
"The proposed amendment directly violates the multiple use mandate that Congress gave BLM in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act," stated the lawmakers. They argued that President Biden's clean energy transition goals do not justify abandoning statutory mandates for domestic mineral sources.
Concerns were also raised about national electric reliability. The letter referenced warnings from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members James Danly and Mark Christie about a looming "reliability crisis" due to policies aimed at reducing fossil fuel generation.
In addition to economic impacts, revenue from federal coal leases is crucial for funding public education, infrastructure, and essential services in Wyoming. The delegation called for Secretary Haaland to withdraw BLM’s proposed amendment promptly.
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