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 […]
Category: Publications
Category for Publications
Ramaco by the Numbers
Taking a closer look at the numbers for Ramaco’s proposed Brook Coal Mine near Sheridan. The math doesn’t add up. To read the full report, download the PDF.
Powder River’s 2018 Annual Report
November 4, 2018 This is Powder River Basin Resource Council’s 2018 Annual Report. To read the full report, please download the PDF.
Powder River Comments to EPA on “Affordable Clean Energy Rule”
October 31, 2018 Environmental Protection Agency EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Mail Code 28221T 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 Submitted via electronic mail to: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov Re: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355 Dear Acting Administrator Wheeler: On behalf of the members of the Powder River Basin Resource Council, thank you for the opportunity to submit comments […]
Ad Valorem Taxes in Wyoming: Proposed Improvements
Our original report in January 2018 (Delinquent Mineral Taxes and Budget Deficits: A Case for Reform) detailed Wyoming’s heavy dependence on mineral taxes to fund state and local government services. We discussed the fact that Wyoming gets more than 70% of our total revenue from taxes on mineral extraction and the impacts to county services […]
Reclaim Wyoming: Prioritize Coal Mine Reclamation
Wyoming’s coal mining legacy dates back to the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1897.1 The state is home to some of the largest coal mines on earth, including the top eight active U.S. mines. Combined, Wyoming mines account for 41% of coal production in the U.S., about the same as the next seven […]
GAO Report on Coal Mine Self-Bonding March 2018
Coal accounts for 17 percent of domestic energy production. SMCRA requires coal mine operators to reclaim lands that were disturbed during mining and to submit a financial assurance in an amount sufficient to ensure that adequate funds will be available to complete reclamation if the operator does not do so. Recent coal company bankruptcies have […]
Petition to Amend Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Rules on Self-Bonding
The Resource Council, along with its over 1,000 members throughout the state, advocates for the conservation of Wyoming’s unique land, mineral, water, and clean air resources consistent with responsible use of those resources to sustain the livelihood of present and future generations. Since its founding in 1973, the Resource Council has worked on coal mining […]
WORC Report Finds Coal Self-Bonding Unnecessary and Risky
April 5, 2018 The practice of self-bonding at coal mines could be ended today without a significant impact to the coal mining industry. That’s the conclusion of a new report, Now is the Time to End Self-Bonding, which points out that self-bonds in the West have hit a historic low, and that conventional alternatives to […]
Now Is the Time to End Self-Bonding
In the eight months between August 2015 and April 2016, the three largest coal companies in the United States all filed for bankruptcy: Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources. Between them, they had pledged $2.3 billion of self-bonds in support of mine cleanup, known as “reclamation.” Coal companies are required by law to […]