White House to expand coal mining and fund aging coal plants

The White House on Monday unveiled a coordinated effort to expand coal mining and support coal-fired power plants, announcing that the federal government will open 13.1 million acres of public land for coal leasing, cut royalty rates and provide $625 million to bolster aging coal plants. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, joined by officials from the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, said the measures are intended to strengthen domestic energy supplies and respond to rising electricity demand.

Burgum said the Interior Department will reduce coal royalty rates from 12.5 percent to 7 percent and streamline the leasing and permitting process, moving approvals that once took years to weeks or months. He announced seven lease applications in progress across Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Alabama and used the phrase "Mine baby, mine" to describe the administration's renewed focus on coal development. The Department of Energy said it will allocate $625 million to upgrade, modernize and extend the lives of existing coal-fired plants; officials described the funding as intended to sustain reliable generation as demand grows from data centers and other uses.