WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, R-N.D., a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today issued the following statement after a federal judge reinstated an Obama-era policy to suspend lease sales for coal on federal lands.
“The moratorium on federal coal leases threatens the availability of reliable and affordable electricity, which is why we worked to rescind this burdensome policy,” said Hoeven. “Federal mineral rights are frequently intermixed with private and state-held minerals, preventing the development of significant portions of North Dakota’s coal resources, preventing landowners from exercising their mineral rights and depriving federal, state and local governments of the revenue from mining operations. We should instead continue to develop all of our available energy resources, including our vast coal, oil and natural gas reserves, while using the latest, greatest technology to ensure good environmental stewardship.”
