Harriet Hageman on Wyoming Coal: Essential for National Energy and Economy

Restoring Coal Leasing in Wyoming

• 🏛️ Representative Harriet Hageman is advocating for House Joint Resolution 130, utilizing the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reinstate coal leasing in Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
• 🏞️ The federal government owns significant land and mineral rights in western states, with Wyoming's Powder River Basin being North America's largest coal deposit, producing 40% of the nation's coal.

Biden Administration's RMP Amendment and its Impact

• 🚫 The Biden administration's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued an RMP amendment that halted new coal leasing, withdrawing 481,000 acres and making 48 billion short tons of coal unavailable.
• ⚖️ Hageman argues this decision violates the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA) and Congress's multiple-use mandate, characterizing it as a mineral withdrawal by climate activists.
• 📉 This policy change risks 4,122 jobs in rural Wyoming and $1.9 billion in labor output through 2048, impacting state revenue used for K-12 education.

National Energy and Affordability Implications

• ⚡ Wyoming coal supplies approximately 9.2% of the electricity produced in the U.S., with 171 million tons shipped to 26 states in 2024.
• 💡 Hageman contends that opposing HJRES 130 and continuing the "war on coal" reduces energy affordability, directly contradicting colleagues' stated concerns about utility bills.
• 🔌 Voting for HJRES 130 is presented as a vote to shore up the national grid and ensure energy affordability.

Legal and Congressional Authority

• 🔍 The Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) determined that the Buffalo RMP is a rule subject to the CRA, affirming its future effect and implementation of policy.
• ✊ Hageman emphasizes that supporting HJRES 130 reaffirms Congress's role as the primary policymaking branch and holds agencies accountable for unlawful regulations.
• 💡 Restoring coal leasing protects access to vital energy resources, provides certainty for Wyoming's economy, and supports millions of Americans who rely on Wyoming coal.