Amy Dominguez, (801) 928-9157, or amy.dominguez@sierraclub.org
UTAH – Sierra Club has filed a suit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for approving two coal lease modifications authorizing a 7 million-ton expansion of the Lila Canyon underground coal mine that would cause severe climate damage, impacting air quality, and diminished visibility in natural areas like the Book Cliffs Mountain Range, Turtle Canyon Wilderness area, and the San Rafael Swell. If allowed to go forward, the expansion would result in more than 11 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
BLM approved the leases under the Trump Administration, in the final weeks before President Biden took office. The leases, which expand an existing underground coal mine, added 1,272 acres of publicly-owned lands and minerals in two different areas. The suit outlines that in its rush to issue the lease modifications before the end of the Trump administration, the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that requires agencies to consider the short- and long-term environmental impacts of proposed actions in their decision making. In the case of the Lila Canyon expansion, the BLM failed to disclose calculations for short-term warming influence, omitting 170,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, under-reporting the climate impacts of the expansion.
Most of the coal from the Lila Canyon mine is burned to generate electricity at Utah monopoly utility PacifiCorp's Hunter and Huntington coal plants, two of the worst sources of pollution emissions in the country.
The Lila Canyon mine sits at the western border of the Book Cliffs Mountain Range in Eastern Utah, less than a quarter mile from the Turtle Canyon Wilderness Area. These landscapes provide important habitat for wildlife species, and the project is impacting the already vulnerable population of Sage Grouse in North America.
"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."
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.