Interior Unleashes American Coal Power in Bold Move to Advance Trump Administration Priorities

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced the opening of 13.1 million acres of federal land for coal leasing, tripling the benchmarks set by the landmark One Big Beautiful Bill Act and delivering on President Donald J. Trump’s directive to restore American Energy Dominance. This decisive action will help strengthen our domestic supply chains and secure reliable energy. 

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signed this policy initiative during a Department of the Interior event focused on advancing Beautiful Clean Coal. This milestone was reinforced by complementary initiatives signed by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Department of Energy Undersecretary P. Wells Griffith. 

“President Trump promised to put American energy workers first, and today we’re delivering,” said Secretary Burgum. “By reducing the royalty rate for coal, increasing coal acres available for leasing, and unlocking critical minerals from mine waste, we are strengthening our economy, protecting national security, and ensuring that communities from Montana to Alabama benefit from good-paying jobs. Washington doesn’t build prosperity, American workers and entrepreneurs do, and we’re giving them the tools to succeed.” 

Guided by President Trump’s Executive Order 14261, Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry, and Executive Order 14241, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, the Bureau of Land Management is making up to 13.1 million acres of federal coal available for lease, lowering royalty rates to strengthen competitiveness, and streamlining approvals for projects in Montana, Wyoming, Tennessee and beyond. These actions follow passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which directs the Department to make additional acres of coal available for development and provide regulatory certainty for producers. 

The Department is also accelerating efforts to recover valuable minerals from mine waste and abandoned sites. Through Secretary’s Order 3436, Interior is working with the U.S. Geological Survey and state partners to map mine waste deposits and fast-track projects that can recover strategic resources like uranium, zinc, germanium, tellurium and rare earth elements—materials vital for defense technologies, energy production and advanced manufacturing. 

Lease sales under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are already underway, including projects at Freedom Mine and Falkirk Mine in North Dakota and major expansions at Warrior Met, Skyline, Spring Creek, and West Antelope III. Together, these sales represent hundreds of millions of tons of coal and decades of energy production. At the same time, a reduced 7% royalty rate will help ensure producers can compete in global markets while sustaining revenues for taxpayers. 

Interior’s actions reflect the Trump administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, ensuring abundant, affordable energy while reducing reliance on foreign sources of coal and minerals. 

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