Hoeven Statement After Federal Judge Reinstates Obama-era Policy Suspending Federal Coal Leases

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today issued the following statement after a federal judge reinstated an Obama-era policy to suspend lease sales for coal on federal lands. 

“The moratorium on federal coal leases threatens the availability of reliable and affordable electricity, which is why we worked to rescind this burdensome policy,” said Hoeven. “Federal mineral rights are frequently intermixed with private and state-held minerals, preventing the development of significant portions of North Dakota’s coal resources, preventing landowners from exercising their mineral rights and depriving federal, state and local governments of the revenue from mining operations. We should instead continue to develop all of our available energy resources, including our vast coal, oil and natural gas reserves, while using the latest, greatest technology to ensure good environmental stewardship.”

Hoeven previously supported efforts during the Trump administration to rescind the federal coal lease moratorium and continues working to ensure the U.S. can continue utilizing all of its abundant energy resources. This includes:

• Pushing back on the Biden administration’s harmful energy agenda and working to pass legislation like his:
  • American Energy Independence from Russia Act, which would take immediate action to increase U.S. energy production and prohibit any presidential moratoria on new energy leases.
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mineral Spacing Act to streamline and improve the permitting process for energy development.
• Advancing efforts to crack the code on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies.

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