The Obama administration is preparing to announce large scale changes in the way federally-owned coal is mined and sold in the United States, including a moratorium on some new coal leases and a review of how taxpayers are compensated for coal taken from government lands. The moves—which are certain to draw fierce opposition from the coal industry —appear to be aimed at addressing a contradiction in US energy policy, which simultaneously promotes the sale of federally-owned coal even as it seeks to limit greenhouse-gas pollution from burning coal. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of federally-owned coal are mined by private companies each year. In an interview with Bloomberg News, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that President Barack Obama’s plan would “help us meet our climate goals while also protecting taxpayers’ interests through this review”.
The Obama administration is preparing to announce large scale changes in the way federally-owned coal is mined and sold in the United States, including a moratorium on some new coal leases and a review of how taxpayers are compensated for coal taken from government lands. The moves—which are certain to draw fierce opposition from the coal industry —appear to be aimed at addressing a contradiction in US energy policy, which simultaneously promotes the sale of federally-owned coal even as it seeks to limit greenhouse-gas pollution from burning coal. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of federally-owned coal are mined by private companies each year. Most of the coal is used in US electricity generation, though some is sold overseas.