Latest news with #SignalPeakEnergy
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Trump Administration Coal Mine Expansion: Trump administration approves coal mine expansion to boost Asia exports, ET Manufacturing
Advt Advt The US Interior Department approved a plan by Signal Peak Energy to expand coal mining, providing exports for Japan and South Korea, the agency said on Friday, as it responded to President Donald Trump's energy-emergency approval authorizes the Montana-based coal company to recover 22.8 million metric tons of federal coal and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal and extend the life of the Bull Mountains mine by nine Secretary Doug Burgum, who is also co-chair of Trump's Energy Dominance Council, said unlocking more federal coal enables the US to bolster ties with allies abroad."President Trump's leadership in declaring a national energy emergency is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure America's future through energy independence and strategic exports," he January 20, Trump declared an energy emergency to speed permitting, roll back environmental protections and withdraw the US from an international pact to fight climate Peak had initially sent its plan to expand its mining operations to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2020, but it has been under federal review and subject to litigation since Interior Department completed the environmental impact statement for the mine expansion according to its new policy to speed such reviews to a maximum of 28 this week joined Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in Alaska to promote an LNG project, as well as other energy exports destined for Asian Bull Mountains mine in Montana, located in Musselshell and Yellowstone counties, employs over 250 workers and primarily supplies Japan and South groups have tried to block the expansion of the mine over concerns about its water use and greenhouse gas emissions."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 statement.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Trump administration approves coal mine expansion to boost Asia exports
The US Interior Department approved a plan by Signal Peak Energy to expand coal mining, providing exports for Japan and South Korea, the agency said on Friday, as it responded to President Donald Trump's energy-emergency directives. The approval authorizes the Montana-based coal company to recover 22.8 million metric tons of federal coal and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal and extend the life of the Bull Mountains mine by nine years. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is also co-chair of Trump's Energy Dominance Council, said unlocking more federal coal enables the US to bolster ties with allies abroad. "President Trump's leadership in declaring a national energy emergency is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure America's future through energy independence and strategic exports," he said. On January 20, Trump declared an energy emergency to speed permitting, roll back environmental protections and withdraw the US from an international pact to fight climate change. Signal Peak had initially sent its plan to expand its mining operations to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2020, but it has been under federal review and subject to litigation since then. The Interior Department completed the environmental impact statement for the mine expansion according to its new policy to speed such reviews to a maximum of 28 days. Burgum this week joined Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in Alaska to promote an LNG project, as well as other energy exports destined for Asian markets. The Bull Mountains mine in Montana, located in Musselshell and Yellowstone counties, employs over 250 workers and primarily supplies Japan and South Korea. Environmental groups have tried to block the expansion of the mine over concerns about its water use and greenhouse gas emissions. "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 statement.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Trump Approves Expansion of Scandal-Hit Coal Mine
The Trump administration on Friday greenlighted the expansion of a scandal-hit underground coal mine in Montana, one of the nation's largest, cutting short a federal environmental review and putting into action a key element of President Trump's plan to revive America's coal industry. In the past, the mine has been embroiled in allegations involving bribery, cocaine trafficking, firearms violations and the faked kidnapping of an executive. The administration's decision would extend the life of the Bull Mountain coal mine, which employs 250 people outside Billings, by nine years, the Interior Department said. It would allow the mine's operator, Signal Peak Energy, to mine nearly 60 million tons of coal, mostly for export to Asia. 'This is what energy leadership looks like,' Doug Burgum, the Interior Secretary, said in a statement. He said Mr. Trump's declaration, in January, of a national energy emergency 'is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure America's future through energy independence and strategic exports.' Citing the emergency declaration, Mr. Trump has directed the government to expedite permitting of new oil and gas drilling sites and pipelines, as well as coal mines, which would typically be subject to analysis of potential environmental harm as well as public comment. Energy experts have questioned whether the country does face an energy emergency. Environmental groups, which had pushed to halt the expansion of the Bull Mountain mine, condemned the decision. They pointed to how its operator had repeatedly violated worker-safety, pollution and environmental regulations. Coal is also the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, and a major driver of global climate change. The coal industry's decline had been helping to drive down the country's carbon dioxide emissions. 'This is yet another disastrous decision by an administration that does not respect the rule of law,' said Shiloh Hernandez, senior attorney at Earthjustice, an environmental nonprofit. 'Allowing it to expand will inflict further harm on the residents of the Bull Mountains and deepen the climate crisis.' Parker Phipps, Signal Peak's president and chief executive, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Signal Peak Energy had separately sued the federal government, saying the Interior Department needed to speed up its approval of the mine's expansion plans. A federal judge last year dismissed the mine's request to force a speedier review of its expansion, which involves federal coal leases. The Interior Department had said it would complete its environmental review by May 2026. On Friday the Trump administration curtailed that review and gave the mine expansion the go-ahead. Mr. Trump has signed executive orders aimed at expanding coal mining in the United States, including prioritizing coal mining on federal land.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Trump administration approves coal mine expansion to boost Asia exports
WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Interior Department approved a plan by Signal Peak Energy to expand coal mining, providing exports for Japan and South Korea, the agency said on Friday, as it responded to President Donald Trump's energy emergency directives. The approval authorizes the Montana-based coal company to recover 22.8 million metric tons of federal coal and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal and extend the life of the Bull Mountains mine by nine years. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is also co-chair of Trump's Energy Dominance Council, said unlocking more federal coal enables the U.S. to bolster ties with U.S. allies abroad. "President Trump's leadership in declaring a national energy emergency is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure America's future through energy independence and strategic exports," he said. Signal Peak had initially sent its plan to expand its mining operations to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2020 but it has been under federal review and subjet to litigation since then. The Interior Department completed the environmental impact statement for the mine expansion according to its new policy to speed such reviews to a maximum of 28 days. Burgum this week joined Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in Alaska to promote an LNG project, as well as other energy exports, destined for Asian markets that was attended by Japanese and Korean officals. The Bull Mountains mine, located in Musselshell and Yellowstone counties, employs over 250 workers and primarily supplies Japan and South Korea. Environmental groups have tried to block the expansion of the mine over concerns about its water usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
29-05-2025
- Business
Trump's push to save coal faces a new hurdle: his own trade war
ROUNDUP, Mont. -- Former ranch hand Pat Thiele has spent years fighting a losing battle against a massive coal mine creeping underground toward his central Montana property. Mine owner Signal Peak Energy sits atop a billion-ton reserve of coal in the Bull Mountains, not far from where Thiele lives. The mine has long seemed poised to benefit from President Donald Trump's pledges to revive the faltering coal industry — vows the president has renewed vigorously in his second term with new orders to deregulate mining. A Republican tax cut bill making its way through Congress contains a special carve-out provision allowing the mine to expand. But Thiele and his neighbors see a glimmer of hope in another Trump initiative, his 'America first' approach to global trade. The Signal Peak mine sends 98% of the minerals it unearths to Japan and South Korea. If tariffs spark a trade war, they think it could inadvertently scuttle the mine's expansion plans — an effort their legal challenges have so far only managed to slow. In effect, an escalating trade war could undermine Trump's goal of saving coal. 'As long as they've got somebody to buy it, they'll keep mining,' said Thiele. 'But a reaction could conceivably come from Japan and South Korea saying, 'Well, if you're going to tariff our shipbuilding or our products, fine, we're not buying your damn coal.'' Thiele, 77, assessed the situation as he stood atop a hillside charred by a wildfire. The former Army Ranger who served two combat tours in Vietnam took in a commanding view of the valley below, where his small herd of cattle grazed. He's a political outlier in rural Musselshell County, Montana, where mining has been a bedrock of the economy for more than a century. It stands to benefit more than most places from Trump's efforts, which for the most part have only slowed coal's demise. Eighty-five percent of Musselshell voters backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election. They viewed his victory as a reprieve from former President Joe Biden's anti-coal policies, said Musselshell County Commission Chairman Robert Pancratz. But worries tariffs could undermine coal's comeback aren't confined to Trump's opponents. 'We're thrilled that he's for coal,' Pancratz said, 'and I believe in principle what he is trying to do with the tariffs is to make for more equitable trade.' 'But there may be some fall-out, you know, unintended consequences of all these things." Many fear the impact a trade war could have on the local economy. Experts say that's a legitimate worry. Coal analyst Seth Feaster said the implications for Signal Peak and other U.S. miners could cut two ways: Countries that don't reach a deal on tariffs could retaliate against U.S. exports, reducing demand for its coal. Or countries like South Korea and Japan could be willing to use energy supplies as leverage to reach an agreement, cementing their status as markets for western coal. 'It's pretty clear the administration is very coal-forward and will use energy as a negotiating tool in whatever trade agreements it's trying to establish,' Feaster said. The bulk of U.S coal mined to use as power plant fuel comes from a handful of huge pit mines in the Powder River Basin of northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, pitched the state's coal on a recent trade trip to Japan and Taiwan. 'It's probably a bit of a long shot, but if we don't try, there won't be any opportunity at all. And I do think that both countries have come to the realization that they can't be 100% renewable,' Gordon said. Signal Peak has almost 300 workers, making it a major employer in the region. Taxes and other payments by the company account for about a third of Musselshell County's revenue. Several years ago, the mine was the subject of a broad corruption investigation that led to convictions of former mine employees and associates for embezzlement, tax evasion, bank fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking and firearms violations. In 2021, the company pleaded guilty to violating environmental and employee safety regulations under an agreement with federal prosecutors that included a $1 million fine. Signal Peak CEO Parker Phipps was asked about the mine's criminal record by Rep. Yassamin Ansari during a congressional hearing last week. 'This is the kind of company that Republicans want to sell off our federal lands to without proper review, especially of the climate impacts,' said the Arizona Democrat. 'Frankly, I think that's a disgrace.' Phipps said the investigations were before his time and that the company ultimately cooperated with authorities. The coal executive warned the company could 'begin winding operations down' at the end of 2025 unless the expansion is approved. Montana Republican Rep. Troy Downing, who sponsored the House provision to allow the mine to expand, acknowledged during an interview that the uncertainty surrounding tariffs causes 'discomfort.' 'It really comes down to, forgive me for saying this, the art of the deal,' Downing said, referring to Trump's book touting his business acumen. 'Look at what President Trump has been doing in actually getting trading partners to the table.' Global coal production reached an all-time high last year, approaching roughly 10 billion tons (more than 9 billion metric tons) and dampening international efforts to curb emissions from burning a fuel that scientists say is a major contributor to global warming. Much of that growth was driven by Asia, where new coal plants keep springing up to power expanding economies. The U.S. coal industry, meanwhile, has been on an almost two-decade decline as more domestic utilities switch to cleaner fuels. That means exports account for a growing share of revenue. They topped 100 million tons last year after previously peaking under former President Barack Obama. Even if tariffs don't hurt U.S. miners, efforts by U.S. coal companies to capitalize on international demand have long been hindered by a lack of access to West Coast ports. Hauling it hundreds of miles by rail, then across the Pacific Ocean, drives up the cost of exporting coal. 'Most of it's pure geography. The coal, there's no problem with selling the coal, but the problem is you've got, you know, a thousand miles of rail to get it to the nearest port,' said Andrew Blumenfeld, a coal industry analyst at McCloskey by OPIS. Signal Peak solved that problem by securing a rail route that allows it to ship through a Canadian port in British Columbia. Trump's rocky relationship with Canada could complicate things on that front. Weary from the long fight to save his land, Thiele has become a realist. This isn't the first time he's had a reason to think the Bull Mountains mine might close. There was the 2008 financial crisis, when coal demand plummeted. Then came the COVID pandemic that rocked economies and industries worldwide. And the back-and-forth between Republican and Democratic administrations in Washington has added to the unpredictability. 'When I first got involved in trying to defend myself here, I had hopes we could actually stop the mine and close it,' he said. Now he greets the possibility that a trade war could do what the long legal fight couldn't with hard-earned skepticism. 'That's a faint hope," he said.
