Wyoming is rich in coal and has an economy presently dependent on the dirty fuels industries. Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter (SCWC) is working to protect our phenomenal natural environment from industrial development while promoting the transition in Wyoming to clean energy and a sustainable economy.
President Obama recently placed a moratorium on the sale of coal leases on public lands. The SCWC supports this moratorium.
Related to the moratorium, the Department of Interior launched a comprehensive review, in the form of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), that will "take a careful look at issues such as how, when, and where to lease; how to account for the environmental and public health impacts of federal coal production; and how to ensure American taxpayers are earning a fair return for the use of their public resources."
In May and June, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held scoping hearings in six coal producing states - Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Tennessee and Pennsylvania - to solicit public input on the Federal Coal Program. Many SCWC members attended and spoke at the scoping hearing held in Casper. Please click here to see the SCWC talking points. Please click here for a list of articles about the scoping hearing in Casper and about the Federal Coal Program in general. SCWC also suggests you read a very surprising article by Colorado University professor Mark Squillance titled The Tragic Story of the Federal Coal Leasing Program.
The last day to submit comments to the BLM regarding the Federal Coal Program is July 23, 2016. Please submit your comments via email to BLM_WO_Coal_Program_PEIS_Comments@blm.gov or mail your comments to Coal Programmatic EIS Scoping, Bureau of Land Management, 20 M St. SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003. (Please note that the BLM states on its comment card: "Please be advised that your entire comment, including your personal indentifying information (address, email address, etc.), may be made publicly available at any time. While you may request that we withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.") The SCWC encourages you to read the talking points and submit comments if you have not already done so.
Less than two days after the last scoping hearing, Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewel, announced changes to the federal mineral royalty program. Under the new regulations, the royalty paid by the coal companies to the federal government will be calculated based on the price of the first sale to an "outside" buyer as compared to the price paid by a company subsidiary. Until this new regulation, some coal companies would sell their mined coal to their own subsidiary and only pay the royalty on the price paid by the subsidiary. The subsidiary would then sell the coal to an outside buyer at a much higher price, but not pay any additional royalty. This change was recommended by the SCWC, the National Sierra Club, and many other environmental organizations during the scoping meetings. We will keep you up-to-date regarding the progress of the PEIS and any further regulatory changes announced by the Department of Interior.
We also urge you to become a member or renew your membership today, and we invite you to get involved and welcome your donations to support our important work.