Statement: Interior Department’s Announcement to Review the Federal Coal Program

Washington, D.C.— HECHO has issued the following statement today regarding the Interior Department’s decision to launch a comprehensive review to identify and evaluate potential reforms to the federal coal program.

 “We commend the U.S. Department of the Interior’s leadership on modernizing the federal coal program. Our public lands supply roughly 40 percent of all U.S. coal production, and the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that we not only receive a fair return on our public resources, but also that our regulations and procedures for leasing our lands balance development of our coal resources with our conservation goals. 

 The Secretary’s plan is exactly what our communities expect-- it is balanced, fiscally responsible, and protects our outdoor heritage.  We applaud this effort clean up a broken system, and deliver fiscal responsibility to taxpayers.”

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