Coal suspension affects 30-plus mining projects

At least 30 applications from companies seeking to mine hundreds of millions of tons of coal face suspension as the government reviews its sales of the fuel from public lands, U.S. officials disclosed Friday. The coal leasing program is on hold for up to three years while the Interior Department reviews fees paid by mining companies and the environmental effect of burning coal, agency Secretary Sally Jewell said. The Associated Press obtained a Bureau of Land Management list of affected sites ahead of its public release, and it includes mining proposals in nine states. Some of the largest projects are in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, the nation’s top coal-producing region. Other projects are in Utah, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and North Dakota...more