Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Groups Decry Salazar’s Dirty Energy Giveaway

Secretary of Interior Announces 2.3 Billion Tons of New Coal Mining, 3.9 Billion Tons of New Carbon Dioxide
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 573-4898 x 1303

Cheyenne—Althoughthe American West holds enough renewable energy potential to fully power theentire United States, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar today announced at apress conference that he intends open the door for 2.35 billion tons of newcoal mining in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

When burned, the coal threatens to release more than 3.9billion tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, equal to the annual emissionsfrom 300 coal-fired power plants, further cementing the United States as aleading contributor to climate disruption. Furthermore, coal’s pollution is dangerous to public healthand contributes to four of the five leading causes of death in the UnitedStates.

“We can’t achieve a clean energy future by mining 2.35billion tons of coal,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Directorfor WildEarth Guardians. “Ratherthan look ahead to our energy future, Secretary Salazar seems content to keeplooking in the rearview mirror, keeping this country dangerously dependent ondirty energy.”

Salazar’s announcement is a stark contrast to his call forclean energy. Interior, forexample, touted that in 2010, 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy developmentwere authorized. And in today’spress conference, Secretary Salazar announced Interior’s intent to authorizemore than 12,000 megawatts of renewable energy by the end of next year.

“Theclean energy economy is here and it is growing,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Directorof the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. “Americans in communitiesacross the country are standing up every day to demand clean energy thatdoesn’t make them sick. With the vast potential for renewable energythat exists across the country – like the Wyoming wind developments thatSecretary Salazar mentioned in today’s press conference – we now have theopportunity to move America beyond coal and usher in our clean energy economy.”

Yet in opening the door for 2.35 billion tons of coalmining, Salazar’s announcement effectively enables more than 300,000 megawattsof coal-fired energy—30 times more dirty energy development than renewableenergy.

The Powder River Basin has been described as a “rootcontributor” to climate disruption in the United States. The region is the largest coalproduction region in the nation, every year strip-mining nearly 500 milliontons of coal, which is burned in more than 200 coal-fired power plants in 35states.

The Bureau of Land Management, the Interior agency chargedwith leasing federal coal in Wyoming, has disclosed the region is linked tomore than thirteen percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UnitedStates.

“Secretary Salazar’s announcement that coal production willbe expanded in the Powder River Basin is a giant leap backward,” said AdamKron, attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. “How can our country move towarda clean energy future if we’re doubling down on the dirtiest and mostproblematic energy source out there?”

Already, the Bureau of Land Management has been under firefor considering leasing nearly 6 billion tons of new coal in the Powder RiverBasin of Wyoming.