The Biden administration this week issued a proposal to significantly reduce the amount of federal land in North Dakota that can be used for mining coal in the future, The Hill reported.
Under the plan, the amount of federal land in North Dakota eligible for coal development would drop by more than 90%.
The administration said the move won't affect coal production levels through 2040, but noted it would "preclude the development of future mines." The proposed restrictions apply only to land owned by the federal government.
North Dakota is the fifth largest coal-producing state, accounting for some 5% of the country's coal supply.
Wendy Warren, the Bureau of Land Management's Eastern Montana/Dakotas district manager, in a statement said the plan "represents a significant step forward in guiding public land use and balancing energy and mineral development."
But Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., issued a statement saying the plan "stifles North Dakota's energy development" and "is going to directly harm our state's budget, federal revenues, and growth potential."
It continued, "It is disappointing but not surprising to see the lengths that the Harris-Biden administration will go to in order to promote its Green New Steal agenda at the expense of our own economy and energy security."
Cramer was one of several North Dakota lawmakers who drafted a letter earlier this year calling on the BLM to revise its initial draft plan, arguing that if implemented, "North Dakota and the nation [would] be denied access to vital energy reserves and corresponding economic activity."
Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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