The Powder River Basin is the largest coal-producing region in the United States, spanning across southeastern Montana, northeastern Wyoming and parts of South Dakota. The Bureau of Land Management decided to end the sale of new coal leases in that region under former President Joe Biden.
Montana Rep. Troy Downing carried a joint resolution to reverse that decision. That resolution passed in the House late last week.
"Coal mines, coal-fired power plants and the communities they support were pushed to the brink of collapse," Downing said during a hearing.
Former BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning told MTPR in a previous interview that the Biden administration made the decision to end coal leasing to prioritize cleaner, more affordable energy sources that are readily available. Existing leases will run in the region through 2041.
Congress has the power to overturn executive agencies’ rules. But prior to this joint resolution, Congress had never overturned the BLM’s Resource Management Plans.
The resolution’s opponents warn that it undermines public involvement in plans developed for the region in lieu of leasing. Annita Lucchesi is a hunter, angler and resident of southeastern Montana. She manages the National Wildlife Federation’s Artemis sportswomen's program.
Lucchesi says this move cuts voices like hers out of the process.
"It's upsetting to think that the land that I rely on for my way of life — not just as a Native person, but as a hunter and angler — that like, that could all go away with whoever's in office, without even asking me or any of the other people who are actually out on that land and know it well," Lucchesia says.
As hunting season begins, she says she’s worried these lands could be harder for hunters like her to access if fossil fuel development is prioritized above all else.
The resolution will head next to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
