The Biden administration is blocking new coal mining on public lands at a major hub for the fossil fuel.
Last week and this week, it released two decisions on the future of mining in the Powder River Basin, which produces 43 percent of the nation’s coal. The basin includes portions of Wyoming and Montana.
It said it would not allow new leasing to take place in the area, citing climate change impacts.
Ongoing mining operations, which are expected to last through 2041, would not be affected.
In environmental studies earlier this year, the administration found that barring new coal leasing in the area would prevent a significant quantity of planet-warming emissions.
Stopping new leases in the Wyoming portion of the basin is projected to prevent nearly 283 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the Earth’s atmosphere between the years 2041 and 2048.
That’s the equivalent of taking 61 million gas-powered cars off the road for a year.
However, the incoming Trump administration is likely to reverse the decisions and open the area up for new coal leasing again.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), an opponent of the decision who is poised to become the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, slammed the Biden administration’s decision and said he’d work with Trump to undo it.
“After the American people issued a stunning rebuke to President Biden, he continues to punish Wyoming communities,” Barrasso said in a written statement.
“I will work with President Trump and his team to reverse this and other midnight regulations,” he added.
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