BlueGreen Alliance Submits Written Comments on the Federal Coal Leasing Program
On July 21, the BlueGreen Alliance submitted written comments on the Federal Coal Leasing Program, saying that critical reform is needed to ensure a just transition for workers and communities to a clean energy economy.
On January 15, 2016, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) issued Order No. 3338 directing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conduct a broad, programmatic review of the federal coal leasing program, which is administered by the BLM. This order was issued in response to a range of concerns about whether American taxpayers are receiving a fair return from the development of publicly owned resources, markets for coal, the consequences for coal-dependent communities, and whether the production of coal under the federal program is consistent with the nation’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.
In response, the BlueGreen Alliance, a national coalition of labor unions and environmental organizations representing more than 15 million workers, environmentalists, consumers, and tax-paying citizens, today expresses appreciation for the administration’s effort to reform the federal coal leasing system and to offer comments as to how the system can best serve a wide range of stakeholder interests.