Rep. Huffman Statement on President Obama’s suspension of new coal leases on public lands
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Following today’s announcement by the Interior Department of a new comprehensive review of the federal coal program which will put a pause on new coal leasing, implement additional transparency, and modernize the program, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) issued the following statement supporting the significant step toward a cleaner environment while ensuring that taxpayers receive their fair share:
“The federal coal program is a broken system that for years has fed our energy dependence on dirty fossil fuels and has cost taxpayers millions of dollars in lost revenue. Now that the United States is leading the world on greenhouse gas reduction, giving away over a billion dollars a year for coal companies to strip-mine our public lands is not only only something we can’t afford – it’s something we can’t tolerate.
With coal produced on America’s public lands accounting for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, not to mention the other polluting impacts of coal mining, this is an obvious step the Administration should take towards accelerating our transition to a clean energy future while tackling climate change head on.
As the President said in this week’s State of the Union address, we must change the way we manage our coal and oil resources so that they better reflect the costs on taxpayers and our planet. I applaud the Obama Administration for taking this bold and necessary action.”
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