Last week the Department of Interior (DOI) released a Notice of Intent to conduct a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) of the federal coal program. The announcement is welcome news, as it represents an opportunity for the DOI to reform the coal leasing process and ensure taxpayers get what they’re owed for the nation’s publicly owned coal resources.

Coal mined on federal land belongs to all U.S. taxpayers and getting a fair return for its development should be a central focus at the DOI, the federal agency charged with managing the nation’s federal lands and waters.

In a speech a year ago, DOI Secretary Sally Jewell acknowledged that it was, “time for an honest and open conversation about modernizing the federal coal program.” Coming more than 30 years after the last comprehensive review of the federal coal program, such a conversation is long overdue. As TCS highlighted in its 2013 report on federal coal leasing, the program has long been in need of top-to-bottom reform.

Last summer, DOI and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which regulates resource development on public lands, hosted a series of public listening sessions about possible reforms to the coal program.  TCS presented comments at the hearings pointing to the many ways the program is failing to ensure a fair return on federal coal, and what should be done to fix the program.

For months little was heard from BLM on what would follow the public forums, but in January, DOI announced the comprehensive review and listed the leasing process and ensuring a fair return among its priorities.

With the Notice of Intent release, the DOI and BLM formally began the review process. In it, the Department reaffirmed that getting a fair return would be part of the review’s scope. The next step will be six public scoping sessions across the country. TCS will be working to make sure a fair return for taxpayers remains a top priority of the PEIS.

TCS Coal Posts

Statement on Secretary Jewell speech on Nation’s Energy Future March 17, 2015

TCS statement on public listening sessions on Federal Coal Program July 09, 2015

Statement to BLM on Federal Coal Program July 29, 2015

TCS Tells DOI to Ensure a Fair Return for Federal Coal August 04, 2015

TCS Calls for Fair Return, More Transparency at Billings Coal Listening Session August 17, 2015

TCS Statement on Denver Coal Listening Session August 18, 2015

TCS Statement: Review of Federal Coal Program Is Welcome News January 15, 2016

TCS Applauds Federal Coal Program Review January 20, 2016

Wastebaskets

Digging Deep on Debt January 15, 2016

Selling Low? September 04, 2015

Arguing for Fair Return on Taxpayer Coal August 21, 2015 

Failing on Fair Return May 08, 2015

Blogs

Peabody Problems Show How Taxpayers Lose With Coal Companies Mar 23, 2016

Coal Companies Might Soon Be Mining Taxpayers for Money Due to “Self-Bonds” Nov 18, 2015

U.S. Needs a Coal Leasing Program That Doesn't Shortchange Taxpayers Jul 23, 2015

New Coal Rules Don't Do Enough to Protect Taxpayers May 6, 2015

Secretary Jewell Wants to Save You Money on Oil and Coal Resources Mar 25, 2015