June 10, 2022: Earlier today, Sierra Club pushed back against one of the Trump Administration's final handouts to the coal industry. Sierra Club's
, filed in federal district court in Utah, challenges the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) January 2021 decision to authorize a 7-million ton expansion of the Lila Canyon underground coal mine near the Book Cliffs Recreation Area in eastern Utah. If allowed to proceed, the expansion would result in more than 11 million tons of climate pollution at a time when the world's scientists are calling on leaders across the globe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid a climate catastrophe. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) suit challenges BLM's refusal to consider reasonable alternatives and its failure to adequately disclose the climate impacts of the expansion, while trumpeting purported short-term economic benefits.
“Allowing this pollutive endeavor to thrive catalyzes the climate change burden in Utah and across the nation,” said Carly Ferro, Director of Utah’s Sierra Club Chapter. “BLM has the opportunity to correct this mistake, strengthen pollution reduction measures and ensure protections for the health of wildlife, climate, and our communities.”
Sierra Club is represented by Environmental Law Program Senior Attorney Nathaniel Shoaff and Aaron Garrett, Executive Director of Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah, based in Salt Lake City.