U.S. SENATE — The news of President Donald J. Trump’s executive action to roll back the Obama administration’s harmful Clean Power Plan that would threaten 7,000 Montana jobs and end the coal leasing moratorium was welcomed across Montana:
Rosebud County Commissioners: “We are excited and relieved to finally have some common sense put back into Washington politics. A great burden will be lifted off the residents of Rosebud County by pulling back these overreaching rules. A special thank you to Senator Daines for his letter to President Trump and fighting to keep Montana in the forefront for energy development.”
Jason Small President Local 11: “The repeal of the federal moratorium on coal and the subsequent rejection of the clean power plan is just the beginning of corrective measures which will help the boilermaker union get back on track. The last half a dozen years have been tough on the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and we have suffered through some tough times. I hope that we can once again become a prosperous union.”
Colin Marshall, President and CEO Cloud Peak Energy: “These Executive Orders are an important step towards lifting the punitive and ill-conceived regulations imposed on coal producers and utilities by the Obama administration,” said Colin Marshall, President and CEO of Cloud Peak Energy. Senator Daines, Secretary Zinke, and the Wyoming delegation have worked tirelessly to reverse these rules, and we appreciate their efforts with the Trump administration on behalf of all those in the Powder River Basin that depend on coal. Cloud Peak Energy’s Spring Creek Mine currently has a lease application pending that had to be made smaller to qualify under the leasing moratorium exemptions. Lifting the moratorium will ensure the continued viability of the Spring Creek Mine and our mines in Wyoming. I appreciate the continued work of Sen. Daines and others to undo the harm caused by Obama era regulations and look forward to Congressional action that will create the stable, predictable regulatory environment that utilities need to maintain and invest in coal in the long term.”
Bud Clinch, Executive Director Montana Coal Council: “The Montana Coal Council and its 1250 Montana Coal miners praise President Trump and his executive orders terminating the “Clean Power Plan” and the moratorium on coal leasing. These actions eliminate two major road blocks to Montana’s coal production reviving those good paying jobs and valuable tax revenue stream. Additionally, suggestions offered in Senator Daines letter to the President will go a long way in unleashing American innovation and moving us closer to energy independence. The comprehensive list of recommendations offered by Senator Daines will benefit many Montana businesses while securing our energy future, enhancing national security, bolstering economic opportunities for small business and protecting taxpayers” said Bud Clinch, Executive Director of the Montana Coal Council.”
Lori Shaw, Co-Founder and Director Colstrip United Movement: “This news is going to give a lot of people hope. When the government picks the winners and losers in our energy market, nobody wins. In the past our government continuously handed out large subsidies for expensive unreliable “green” energy projects funded by our tax dollars while at the same time they raining down a steady onslaught of new heavy-handed regulations designed to further choke out our most reliable and affordable energy industries. The moratorium on federal coal leasing was not just bad for coal country, but it was bad for the entire state of Montana. To deny the people of this country the ability to utilize their resources to sufficiently sustain themselves is unethical. Whether it be through heavy-handed regulation, or through the efforts of radical activists, to deny the people of the ability to use their resources is the same thing as taking the food off their tables and the shoes off their feet. It is time that America’s PEOPLE join the list of our top priorities for preservation.”
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