BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday proposed an end to new coal leasing from federal reserves in the most productive coal mining region in the U.S. as officials seek to limit climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions from burning the fuel.
The Bureau of Land Management proposal would affect millions of acres (millions of hectares) of federal lands and underground mineral reserves in the Powder River Basin area of Wyoming and Montana.
The immediate impact is likely to be limited because coal leases take many years to develop and demand has flagged in recent years. But the proposal drew a harsh pushback from Republicans in Congress, coming just weeks after President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration unveiled an air quality rule that could force many coal-fired power plants to reduce their pollution or shut down.
Xiplomacy: A Letter from Xi — A Fond Memory of China
Roundup: Chinese FM Expounds on China
New Suzhou Youth Symphony Orchestra established
Human rights group urges Thailand to stop forcing dissidents to return home
Xi, Biden Talk on Strategic Issues Critical to China
Chinese giant pandas meet public in Doha's first Panda House ahead of World Cup
EA Sports College Football 25 comes out on July 19. Edwards, Ewers, Hunter are on standard cover
China, Singapore to implement 30
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes learn their road to an historic NFL three
(HKSAR 25) Feature: Hong Kong Palace Museum