Central Montana Times

U.S. Senator Steve Daines has expressed his dissatisfaction with the Biden administration's decision to implement the Miles City Resource Management Plan (RMP) Record of Decision, which prohibits new coal leasing in Montana's Powder River Basin.

Daines stated, "At every turn the Biden administration has launched attack after attack on made in Montana energy and the people of Montana and the rest of the country rebuked the administration for it at the ballot box. Yet the Biden administration still did not get the message, issuing a rule in a desperate attempt to appease the far-Left environmentalists."

He emphasized that Eastern Montana's coal resources are significant for national security, energy infrastructure, and job creation. "Eastern Montana is rich in coal and mining operations and the jobs and coal produced in the Powder River Basin help support our national security, bolster our energy grid and create high-paying jobs," Daines added. In response, he plans to introduce legislation to counteract this decision.

The approved RMP Amendment designates no acres for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered coal leasing, making 1,745,040 acres unavailable within the Miles City Field Office planning area.

Previously, in May and June, Daines criticized this amendment and urged its withdrawal.