Senate Passes Measure to Repeal Biden-Era Coal Regulation

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate passed a measure on Nov. 20 to repeal a Biden-era coal regulation in Wyoming, sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The tally was 51–43.

Speaking on the Senate floor on Nov. 19, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), who introduced the resolution, gave her reasons for voting to repeal the regulation.

“The Biden Bureau of Land Management and this resource management plan didn’t just attack coal. It aimed to lock up federal land that belongs to the American people,” she said. “While the Biden administration tried to shutter American coal mines, our foreign adversaries are ramping up production.”

Lummis said that American coal is “cleantest” compared with foreign coal because U.S. production processes follow strict labor and environmental regulations.

“Their coal is dirtier, their environmental standards non-existent, and their labor practices include child labor and human rights abuses no American would ever tolerate. Shuttering U.S. coal doesn’t help the planet,” she said. “It outsources pollution to the worst polluters on Earth and sends American jobs straight overseas. American coal, Wyoming coal, is the cleanest, safest, and most responsibly produced coal in the world.”

The regulation took effect last year, and its proponents, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Biden administration, stated that it was warranted to address climate concerns.

“Reducing availability of BLM-administered coal for leasing consideration reduces the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions from the development and combustion of BLM-administered coal from the planning area,” the BLM stated in a notice relating to the regulation published in the Federal Register on Nov. 27, 2024.

The regulation made 413,250 acres of land unavailable for coal production, according to the bureau.

The Wyoming congressional delegation celebrated the passage of the measure to repeal the regulation.

“The passage of this legislation through both the Senate and the House is great news for Wyoming and our workers in the Powder River Basin,” Lummis said. “Wyoming energy has powered this country for decades.”

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said that “this outrageous rule cut off access to one of our strongest resources—Wyoming coal.”

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) said, “Wyoming coal powers this country, and once this misguided, ideologically driven policy is overturned, we can better meet our nation’s growing energy demands.”