March 23, 2011, 1:28 pm

Federal Lands in Wyoming Opened to Coal Mining

By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF

Associated Press Gov. Matt Mead of Wyoming, left, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at a news conference on Tuesday.

Federal land in Wyoming holding roughly 750 million tons of coal will be leased to mining companies, the Interior Department announced. The leases will generate $13.4 billion to $21.3 billion, with roughly half of the proceeds going to the State of Wyoming, according to federal estimates.
The leases cover 7,400 acres in Wyoming’s coal-rich Powder River Basin, the nation’s top coal-producing region. The tracts are the “first of more than a dozen” coal leases in the region that are to be auctioned off in the next three years, the Interior Department said.
“Coal is a critical component of America’s comprehensive energy portfolio as well as Wyoming’s economy,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at a news conference on Tuesday in Wyoming. “It’s important that we continue to encourage safe production of this important resource.”
Mr. Salazar was joined by Matt Mead, the state’s Republican governor, who applauded the decision to authorize the sales.

“We need the energy,” Governor Mead said. “We need the jobs that come with energy. We need the electricity.”
Environmental groups sharply criticized the lease sales, saying that the Interior Department had failed to calculate the impact of coal mining on climate change and water and air quality.
“Rather than look ahead to our energy future, Secretary Salazar seems content to keep looking in the rear-view mirror, keeping this country dangerously dependent on dirty energy,” said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy director for WildEarth Guardians, an advocacy group.
The leases will only further cement Wyoming’s position as the country’s energy powerhouse. More than 416 million tons of coal were shipped from the Powder River Basin in 2009, equal to roughly 40 percent of the nation’s annual coal consumption of one billion tons.
Some 70 to 80 trains — each averaging 130 cars in length — leave the region loaded with coal every day, according to the Wyoming Mining Association.
But while coal mining produces significant revenue for the state, its direct employment impact is less pronounced. The coal industry employs about 7,000 workers in Wyoming, less than 3 percent of the state’s total work force, according to the Wyoming Department of Employment.