Enzi: Moratorium on new coal-mining leases an economic assault on Wyoming
by U.S. Senator Mike Enzi
January 15, 2016
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., issued the following statement regarding the Department of the Interior’s decision to halt most new coal mining leases on public lands while it considers overhauling the program.
"Let’s call this what it is. It’s an economic assault on Wyoming and all those in America who work in or who are associated with an industry that supplies the largest share of our electricity. This isn’t some good government efficiency measure or about trying to deliver a "fair return to American taxpayers". That’s a sham. The president decided a long time ago he wanted to destroy the coal industry and this is about wanting to make coal more expensive and less accessible. This is nothing more than the latest tenet of what is sadly the most successful program of this president’s administration: the war on coal.
"People in my state are angry that their own president is out to destroy their livelihood. I’m saddened by it. A good Administration would not pit different sectors of American energy against each other. I would seek the best ways to make them all thrive so that America can prosper in the face of global competition and threats. Out west where federal coal is mined, there isn’t a question about the value of this program. I will fight alongside the state of Wyoming and its communities to ensure that one of our state’s most valuable resources is protected."
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