If It’s Easier To Lease Federal Coal, Will Wyoming Producers Bid For Them?

The future of Wyoming coal mining might depend less on the availability of coal than on whether mining companies believe there is enough demand to justify bidding for new leases.

Still, Wyoming’s senior Republican U.S. Sen. John Barrasso is trying to sweeten the deal for mining companies to pursue federal coal leases by reducing the up-front cost of opening new sources of coal on federal land.

Barrasso’s legislation, which advanced last week through the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, would extend the payment period for federal coal lease bonus bids from five years to 10 years.