At a major hub for the fossil fuel, the administration of Vice President Joe Biden is now reportedly preventing new coal mining from taking place on public lands.
The decision comes right as Biden is preparing to leave office and be succeeded by President Elect Trump.
Two decisions about the future of mining in the Powder River Basin, which is responsible for producing 43 percent of the nation’s coal, were made public by the government both last week and this week.
There are parts of Wyoming and Montana that are included in the basin.
Because of the alleged effects of climate change, the Biden Administration stated that it would not let any new leasing to take place in the area.
The mining operations that are already underway, which are anticipated to continue until the year 2041, would not be impacted however.
Earlier this year, the administration conducted environmental studies and came to the conclusion that prohibiting new coal leasing in the region would prevent a large amount of emissions that contribute to the warming of the world.
It is claimed that the cessation of new leases in the Wyoming region of the basin will prevent the emission of approximately 283 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere of the Earth between the years 2041 and 2048.
That is the same as being able to remove 61 million gasoline-powered automobiles from the road for a whole year, if the estimates are to be believed.
On the other hand, it is also quite probable that the next administration of President Elect Trump will overturn the judgments and once again allow fresh coal leasing to take place in the region.
An opponent of the decision, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), who is on the verge of becoming the second-most powerful Republican in the Senate, has reportedly criticized the decision made by the Biden administration and stated that he would collaborate with President Trump on reversing it as soon as possible.
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