Today the Congressional House Sub-Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing about coal mining in the Powder River Basin.
The Committee website states that “coal and the jobs that go with it are under attack by the Obama administration with increased regulation and red-tape” and calls for a “true all-of-the-above energy approach.” In order to look into the matter, the Committee, which has a Republican majority, heard testimony from representatives from the Crow Nation, Department of the Interior, the Campbell County Commissioners, and the Institute for Energy Research.
Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute for Energy Research, Mary Hutzler, testified that ”coal production on federal and Indian lands is declining; it is over 9 percent less than its peak production in fiscal year 2008.” She also said that “fewer coal lease sales have taken place on federal lands on average during the Obama administration than during the prior two administrations.”
Chairman of the Committee Doug Lamborn of Colorado says he called the hearing to see if the successes of PRB coal could be used to create jobs and increase energy production elsewhere.
