The US Department of the Interior said on Tuesday it would advance three competitive coal lease sales this fall, offering tracts in Alabama, Montana and Utah as part of the Trump administration’s effort to expand domestic energy production.
“Coal has long been the backbone of America’s energy and industrial strength,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “By moving forward with these lease sales, we are creating good-paying jobs, supporting local communities, and securing the resources that keep America strong.”
In Alabama, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will auction two lease areas spanning about 5 686 ha beneath private lands in Tuscaloosa county. The tracts contain an estimated 53-million tons of recoverable metallurgical coal, a steelmaking input designated as critical under the Energy Act of 2020. The sealed-bid sale is scheduled for September 30 in Falls Church, Virginia.
The BLM also plans a sale in Utah’s Emery county, offering the 48.50-ha Little Eccles Tract with an estimated 1.29-million tons of recoverable coal. Canyon Fuel, operator of the Skyline mine, applied for the lease. Sealed bids are due October 1, with the sale taking place that afternoon in Salt Lake City.
In Montana’s Big Horn county, the agency will put forward a 510-ha tract containing 167.5-million tons of recoverable coal. Navajo Transitional Energy, operator of the Spring Creek mine, submitted the application. If issued, the lease could extend the mine’s life through 2051. The sale will be held October 6 in Billings, Montana, with sealed bids due by October 3.
Each lease remains subject to federal review, including environmental analysis and public comment, and bidders must secure required state and federal permits, including an approved mining plan.