June 6 (UPI) -- The Department of the Interior on Friday announced approval of a mining plan modification for Bull Mountains coal mine in Montana, a move criticized by environmental organizations.
Signal Peak Energy LLC was authorized to mine roughly 22.8 million tons of federal coal and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal in Roundup.
The mine, which in Musselshell and Yellowstone counties, exports coal to Japan and South Korea.
"By unlocking access to coal in America, we are not only fueling jobs here at home, but we are also standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies abroad," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.
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In 2023, a federal judge halted the mining of federal coal at the Bull Mountains Mine pending a thorough analysis of the mine's impacts on ranchers, vital water sources, and the climate.
The Trump administration approved the expansion without a draft environmental impact statement or the opportunity for public comment on a draft.
The Interior Department said it is using "alternative arrangements" for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the 1969 law requiring federal agencies to assess potential environmental effects of their decisions.
Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, described it as one of the most notorious mining operations in the country.
In 2023, The New York Times reported on corruption and criminal history surrounding Signal Peak. It revealed embezzlement, a fake kidnapping, bribery, cocaine trafficking, firearms violations, past links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and worker safety and environmental infringements.
"It's utter hogwash that we have to sacrifice the climate, water resources, wildlife and area ranching operations in order to send coal overseas to be burned by foreign countries," Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center said in a news release. "Signal Peak has thumbed its nose at state and federal laws for decades.
"Now the Trump administration is rewarding these bad actors with a free pass without considering the harm to ranchers' livelihoods, wildlife that depend on vanishing area water resources, or the devastation that will result from making the climate crisis even worse. There is no excuse for this type of lawlessness and there is certainly no national energy emergency being alleviated."
Melissa Hornbein, senior attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center, said: "The Trump administration will have a very difficult time in federal court explaining how expediting approval for expanding operations at a coal mine that exports 98% of its product falls under an extremely specific domestic energy emergency declaration. The energy emergency declaration, preposterous on its face, only ever served as an abuse of the federal government to enrich fossil fuel barons. Using it to expand the Bull Mountains coal mine makes that explicit."
The Trump administration policy of increasing fossil fuel production stands in stark contrast to Biden administration policies.
In October 2024, the Biden administration announced $428 million in funding for 14 federal energy projects in small towns historically known for coal production.
The Trump administration is in the process of attempting to undo that clean energy approach while doubling down on coal, oil and gas production.
For the Bull Mountains coal mine, the Interior Department said Friday it is using emergency permitting procedures to disregard normal environmental review.
The Interior Department said in an April statement that the procedures reduce what would normally be "a multi-year review process down to just 28 days at most."
The department asserts that the procedures using the radically shortened review process still upholds environmental standards.
"The Bull Mountains project is proof that we can meet urgent energy needs, work with local communities and uphold strong environmental standards," Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Adam Suess in a statement.
According to the Interior Department, "These alternative arrangements apply both to actions not likely to have significant environmental impacts and to actions likely to have significant environmental impacts."
The Trump administration is using a so-called national energy emergency declared by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 to avoid fully complying with full environmental regulations agencies would normally have to follow.
Under the alternative arrangements, companies would notify the department they want those alternative arrangements.
The official responsible for reviewing the application would then "prepare a focused, concise, and timely environmental impact statement addressing the purpose and need for the proposed action, alternatives, and a brief description of environmental effects."
According to the Interior Department, the Bull Mountains project is expected to generate "over $1 billion in combined local, state and county economic benefits, including wages, taxes and business activity."
Signal Peak Energy, which is the only underground mining operation in Montana, said on its website it is "committed to reimagining the industry through top-quality safety procedures and cutting-edge production methods. Our mission is to create an environment where our employees can thrive -- complete with a comprehensive benefits package and an industry-leading safety record.
