Local Conservation Groups Host Event at Welch Ranch Conservation groups in Sheridan County are hosting a Sheridan County Public Lands Day Celebration on Saturday, September 28th, at the Bureau of Land Management’s Welch Ranch Special Management Area on Decker Road. The groups welcome the public to attend the event which starts with trail cleanup at […]
Posts Categorized: News
Powder River Files Complaint Alleging Contura Mine Violations
August 28, 2019 This week Powder River Basin Resource Council (Resource Council) filed a citizen complaint with the federal Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding mine violations at the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte coal mines, which have been shut down since Blackjewel filed […]
Court Rules in Favor of Powder River Basin Resource Council; Requires DEQ Release of Appraisal
August 22, 2019 In a precedent-setting Public Records Act case, a Wyoming District Court judge has ruled in favor of Powder River Basin Resource Council (Resource Council), ordering the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to release land appraisal documents directly related to Contura Coal West’s bond renewal for the Belle Ayr coal mine […]
Conservation Groups Seek to Join Wyoming Suit Over Coal, Oil, Gas Revenue
July 26, 2019 The groups’ motion to intervene can be found online here . Groups aim to ensure companies pay a fair return for taxpayer-owned minerals Five conservation groups moved today to intervene in a lawsuit to preserve the 2016 Valuation Rule, a set of federal requirements requiring fossil fuel companies to pay full royalties […]
Powder River Statement on Contura Bid for Blackjewel Mines
July 25, 2019 “On one hand we are relieved that Contura Coal West will remain on the hook and the responsible party for the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines, but on the other hand, there are still significantly large concerns. The state of Wyoming and the Department of Interior should demand that Contura pay […]
Letter to OSMRE Regarding Blackjewel Bankruptcy
July 15, 2019 Dear Acting Director Owens, On behalf of our millions of members, many of whom live in areas directly affected by coal mining operations, the undersigned organizations write to you to express our concerns about Blackjewel/Revelation Energy’s bankruptcy filing that occurred on July 1, 2019. We ask that you work swiftly to exercise […]
Powder River Statement on Contura-Blackjewel Permit Transfer Hearing
July 10, 2019 “In light of Blackjewel’s bankruptcy and how chaotically this situation evolved, we thank the EQC for staying the permit transfers at this time. We are relieved that the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr permits will remain under Contura,” said Powder River Basin Resource Council Chair Joyce Evans. “However, we are disappointed that […]
An Open Editorial to Honorable Governor Gordon
July 3, 2019 The time has come for Wyoming to rise to the occasion and address the truth about the declining coal industry. Wyoming must step up to help Wyoming’s coal communities transition to a new future. The devastating impact to coal miners and the community of Gillette with the abandonment and hollowing out of […]
Powder River Statement on Blackjewel Bankruptcy
July 1, 2019 “Blackjewel’s bankruptcy filing is hardly a surprise. We have been raising questions with Wyoming regulators about the company’s financial stability and operatorship because this is exactly what we feared would happen. The entire history of the company’s involvement in Wyoming has had red flags, starting with the fact they were essentially gifted […]
County, State Pushed to Act on Unpaid Production Taxes (Reprint)
June 11, 2019 This article by Greg Johnson appeared in the June 9, 2019 issue of the Gillette News Record. It takes a close look at the ongoing saga of unpaid mineral taxes by bankrupt mineral extraction companies and the potential for further problems if this issue is not addressed by the state. “Rereading a […]
