US to review climate impact from coal sales

BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. officials launched a review Thursday of climate damage caused by coal mining on public lands as the Biden administration expands its scrutiny of government fossil fuel sales that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

The review also will consider if companies are paying fair value for coal extracted from public reserves in Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and other states.

Coal combustion for electricity remains one of the top sources of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, even after many power plants shut down over the past decade because of concerns over pollution. Almost half the nation’s annual coal production — some 250 million tons last year — is mined by private companies from leases on federal land, primarily in Western states.

Coal lease sales were temporarily shut down under President Barack Obama because of climate concerns, then revived under President Donald Trump as he sought to bolster the declining industry. President Joe Biden suspended oil and gas lease sales in his first days in office — a move later blocked by a federal judge — and faced pressure from environmental groups to take similar actions on coal.

Few leases have been sold in recent years as coal demand shrank drastically, but the industry’s opponents want to ensure it can’t make a comeback as wildfires, drought, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change worsen, according to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The Interior Department review will consider the effects of coal mining on air quality and the local environment, whether leasing decisions should consider if the fuel will be exported, and how coal supports the nation’s energy needs. The agency said it will take 30 days of public comment and plans to announce its next steps by November.

The coal program brought in more than $500 million for federal and state coffers through royalties and other payments in 2019, the most recent data available.