The Senate voted Thursday to revive federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin, reversing a Biden-era policy and putting the measure on track for President Donald Trump’s signature.
According to The Associated Press, the bill targets the coal-rich region of northeastern Wyoming, which supplies roughly 40% of the nation’s coal. It’s one of several fossil-fuel-focused measures moving through the Republican-controlled Congress, alongside proposals to expand mining and drilling in Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota.
In the final months of President Joe Biden’s term, the Interior Department halted federal coal sales in the Powder River Basin. Officials cited declining demand from utilities transitioning to cheaper natural gas and renewables, as well as concerns about climate change.
The move would have effectively phased out coal mining in a region where the federal government owns most of the reserves and routinely leases them to keep operations going.
Trump has repeatedly praised coal and has sought to reverse years of declining output in Wyoming, Montana, and Appalachia. His administration pushed to keep coal-fired power plants online and allowed recent federal lease sales to move forward, pending congressional action to unwind Biden’s restrictions.
The Senate approved the bill on a 51-43 vote. It not only cancels Biden’s policy but bars future administrations from halting federal coal sales in the Powder River Basin.
Despite the legislative victory for coal states, the industry continues to face headwinds. Recent federal lease auctions in Wyoming, Montana, and Utah have struggled to draw bids. In Montana, the lone offer on a tract of federal coal came in too low for government acceptance.
Over the past decade, annual production in the Powder River Basin has fallen from about 400 million tons to 200 million tons. That decline persisted even during Trump’s coal-friendly first term.
“Demand has fallen considerably. It’s not expected to turn around but continue to drop. It appears new leases are not what the industry really needs,” said Seth Feaster of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
The House passed the bill on Wednesday. Wyoming’s all-Republican congressional delegation — Rep. Harriet Hageman and Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis — strongly supported the measure.
“Wyoming’s congressional delegation did a yeoman’s effort to protect our mining industry and rescind this disastrous decision,” Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement.
Environmental groups blasted the bill. Ashley Nunes of the Center for Biological Diversity said Congress is ignoring expert land-management analysis from Interior officials.
“Republicans are going out of their way to block basic environmental protections and burden our public lands with more pollution,” Nunes said. “It’s filthy and foolish.”
