New coal leasing will once again be allowed in the top producing region in the country. However, it’s unclear if the market is interested.
On Dec. 11, Pres. Trump signed legislation reversing the Biden-era Buffalo Resource Management Plan (RMP). The plan ended new coal leasing in the Powder River Basin, which meant current coal mining activity would dry up by 2041, according to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) estimates.
The BLM finalized the RMP in 2024 and, at the time, cited climate change as the top reason for ending new leasing. Field offices typically update their RMPs every 10 to 20 years.
Wyoming’s delegation led the effort to reverse the plan, saying it was an assault on the state’s top industry. They stood by Trump’s side as he inked the reversal into law Thursday.
In a press release, Rep. Harriet Hageman, who sponsored the bill, said this was important because the previous plan was “threatening thousands of jobs, undermining local communities, and jeopardizing affordable, reliable energy for millions of Americans.”
However, the Biden-era plan allowed current coal mining to continue. It only ended new leasing, which unofficially ended in 2012. That was the last time Wyoming successfully sold any new federal coal leases. An attempt at a sale in October was indefinitely postponed shortly after a sale in Montana flopped with a low bid that was ultimately rejected by the federal government. The sale was allowed under the current Buffalo RMP because plans for the sale had preceded the 2024 update.
The legislation Trump signed is called a Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Congress to get involved with final rules from federal agencies. This CRA reverted the Buffalo Field Office to its previous RMP, which allows new coal leasing if there is market interest. It also prevents the BLM from banning new leasing in any future RMP for the area.
