Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Department of the Interior announced Tuesday that it will open lease sales for coal mining projects in Alabama, Montana and Utah as part of the Trump administration's plans for domestic resource production.
The sales will be completed later this fall and are the latest in a series of sometimes controversial mining projects planned since President Donald Trump signed executive orders intended to make the U.S. "energy dominant." The orders focus on boosting coal production, unraveling the clean-energy policies of the Biden administration.
"Coal has long been the backbone of America's energy and industrial strength," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a prepared statement. "By moving forward with these lease sales, we are creating good-paying jobs, supporting local communities, and securing the resources that keep America strong."
Included in the upcoming leases is the Spring Creek Mine, the largest coal mine in the state and one of the largest in the country. Expansion of the mine had been stymied by the Biden administration and litigation from environmental groups concerned about its air pollution and increased carbon emissions, despite political support from GOP elected officials.
