Current:Home > reviewsCourt Orders New Climate Impact Analysis for 4 Gigantic Coal Leases -消息
Court Orders New Climate Impact Analysis for 4 Gigantic Coal Leases
View
Date:2025-04-15 16:54:24
A federal appeals court in Denver told the Bureau of Land Management on Friday that its analysis of the climate impacts of four gigantic coal leases was economically “irrational” and needs to be done over.
When reviewing the environmental impacts of fossil fuel projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the judges said, the agency can’t assume the harmful effects away by claiming that dirty fuels left untouched in one location would automatically bubble up, greenhouse gas emissions and all, somewhere else.
That was the basic logic employed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2010 when it approved the new leases in the Powder River Basin that stretches across Wyoming and Montana, expanding projects that hold some 2 billion tons of coal, big enough to supply at least a fifth of the nation’s needs.
The leases were at Arch Coal’s Black Thunder mine and Peabody Energy’s North Antelope-Rochelle mine, among the biggest operations of two of the world’s biggest coal companies. If these would have no climate impact, as the BLM argued, then presumably no one could ever be told to leave coal in the ground to protect the climate.
But that much coal, when it is burned, adds billions of tons of carbon dioxide to an already overburdened atmosphere, worsening global warming’s harm. Increasingly, environmentalists have been pressing the federal leasing agency to consider those cumulative impacts, and increasingly judges have been ruling that the 1970 NEPA statute, the foundation of modern environmental law, requires it.
The appeals court ruling is significant, as it overturned a lower court that had ruled in favor of the agency and the coal mining interests. It comes as the Trump administration is moving to reverse actions taken at the end of the Obama administration to review the coal leasing program on climate and economic grounds.
“This is a major win for climate progress, for our public lands, and for our clean energy future,” said Jeremy Nichols of WildEarth Guardians, which filed the appeal along with the Sierra Club. “It also stands as a major reality check to President Trump and his attempts to use public lands and coal to prop up the dying coal industry at the expense of our climate.”
But the victory for the green plaintiffs may prove limited. The court did not throw out the lower court’s ruling, a remedy that would have brought mining operations to a halt. Nor, in sending the case back for further review, did it instruct the lower court how to proceed, beyond telling it not “to rely on an economic assumption, which contradicted basic economic principles.”
It was arbitrary and capricious, the appeals court said, for BLM to pretend that there was no “real world difference” between granting and denying coal leases, on the theory that the coal would simply be produced at a different mine.
The appeals court favorably quoted WildEarth’s argument that this was “at best a gross oversimplification.” The group argued that Powder River coal, which the government lets the companies have at rock-bottom prices, is extraordinarily cheap and abundant. If this supply were cut off, prices would rise, leading power plants to switch to other, cheaper fuels. The result would be lower emissions of carbon dioxide.
For the BLM to argue that coal markets, like a waterbed, would rise here if pushed down there, was “a long logical leap,” the court ruled.
veryGood! (85)
Related
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Why Travis Kelce Didn't Join Taylor Swift at the 2024 MTV VMAs
- When does 'The Golden Bachelorette' start? Premiere date, cast, what to know about Joan Vassos
- Sen. Bernie Sanders said he is set to pursue contempt charges against Steward CEO
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- After Taylor Swift post, Caitlin Clark encourages voting but won't endorse Kamala Harris
- Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau’s Sister Katie Speaks Out After Their Tragic Deaths
- Francine weakens moving inland from Gulf Coast after hurricane winds cause blackouts
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- First and 10: Texas is roaring into SEC, while Oklahoma is limping. What's up with Oregon?
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- An Ohio city reshaped by Haitian immigrants lands in an unwelcome spotlight
- Where did the Mega Millions hit last night? Winning $810 million ticket purchased in Texas
- Who plays on Thursday Night Football? Breaking down Week 2 matchup
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Pair of rare Amur tiger cubs debuting at Minnesota Zoo are raising hopes for the endangered species
- New Orleans Saints staff will stay in team's facility during Hurricane Francine
- Dave Grohl and Wife Jordyn Blum Were All Smiles on Wimbledon Date 2 Months Before His Baby News
Recommendation
SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
2025 Social Security COLA estimate dips with inflation but more seniors face poverty
Kentucky authorities still hunting suspect in I-75 shooting that injured 5
Alicia Silverstone says toilet paper carries 'risk of cancer.' What's the truth about PFAS?
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
2024 MTV VMAs: Chanel West Coast Drops Jaws in Nipple Dress
Chappell Roan Steals the Show With 2024 MTV VMAs Performance Amid Backlash for Canceling Concerts
'NCIS: Origins' cast puzzle: Finding young versions of iconic Gibbs, Vera Strickland