Via Washington Times:
The Obama administration announced a moratorium on new coal development on public land Friday while it studies the impact of the U.S. leasing program on climate change, prompting fresh criticism that President Obama is ramping up his “war on coal.”
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced the initiative.
“Given serious concerns raised about the federal coal program, we’re taking the prudent step to hit pause on approving significant new leases,” said Ms. Jewell, who added that existing coal leases would continue to provide for the country’s electricity needs.
“We haven’t undertaken a comprehensive review of the program in more than 30 years,” she said, “and we have an obligation to current and future generations to ensure the federal coal program delivers a fair return to American taxpayers and takes into account its impacts on climate change.”
It’s the latest step by Mr. Obama to combat climate change and follows a pledge he made in Tuesday’s State of the Union address “to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources, so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet.”
Speaker Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, said the impact of the move “will be terrible: lost growth, lost jobs, and lost revenue that would have gone to schools, bridges, and roads.” Keep on reading…
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