Enviro groups sue BLM over Powder River Basin leases

Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management in an effort to stop the mining of roughly 350 million tons of federal coal in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. WildEarth Guardians, Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club say the Obama administration has failed to give adequate weight to air pollution and global warming concerns when it approved the leasing of two large tracts — the 1,671-acre Belle Ayr North and 1,023-acre Caballo West, both in Campbell County. “This is yet another blow to a clean energy future,” Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth climate and energy program director, said in a statement. “This country needs solutions that safeguard our clean air and climate, not more dirty energy development. Sadly, by opening the door for massive new coal mining plans, the Interior Department seems to be sabotaging solutions.” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversees BLM, has defended the leases, saying they conform to an energy agenda that seeks to take advantage of a wide range of power sources. The groups filed their complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia...more