The BLM is donating more than 300 acres of coal adjacent to the Coyote Creek Mine in Mercer County. | Stock photo
The BLM is donating more than 300 acres of coal adjacent to the Coyote Creek Mine in Mercer County. | Stock photo
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be awarding 320 acres of federally owned coal after conducting a lease sale in Mercer County, according to a press release from the BLM.
More than 5 million tons of federal coal lies adjacent to the existing Coyote Creek Mine southwest of Beulah, and the proposed lease tracts are within the current mine-planning area.
“We're very excited about this project,” Montana/Dakotas Deputy State Director for Energy, Minerals and Realty Donato Judice said in the release. “By working together, the BLM and OSMRE (Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement) are able to significantly reduce the time and effort it takes to go from an application to lease federal coal to issuing a Federal Mine Permit.”
The lease sale will be on Oct. 1 at the BLM's Montana state office and members of the public are welcome to attend the event, which will practice safety measures including social distancing.
“I am glad to see the bureau take this much-needed action to give Coyote Creek access to federal coal within their property,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) said in the press release. “These lease sales support mining jobs and provide critical revenues and resources to the local community. I will be monitoring the sale on Oct. 1 and hope it leads to good news for North Dakota’s coal producers.”
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