DOI announces review of federal coal program

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March 25, 2016

The Department of the Interior (DOI) released a notice of intent (NOI) that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to evaluate potential reforms to the federal coal program. The NOI comes after a DOI announcement in January that halted new federal coal leases while the review occurs.

The goal of the review is to produce reforms that ensure a fair return to taxpayers and environmental stewardship, while helping meet the nation’s energy needs. The PEIS will include a series of six meetings to solicit public input for the review.

DOI will release an interim report for the PEIS by the end of 2016. The report will include a summary of the comments received, conclusions about alternatives that will be evaluated and any initial analytical results. The full program review is expected to take three years.

Sources: E&E News, Department of Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM)