On Thursday, the Department of Interior held a public hearing in Salt Lake City to hear from Utahns regarding reforms to coal mine leasing on federal lands. The hearing featured testimony from those both for and against the proposed reforms. Environmental groups claim that the current rules benefit mining companies at the public’s expense while coal supporters insist that a moratorium on new leases will negatively impact the economy.
Sierra Club organizing representative Lindsay Beebe said that those impacted by poor air quality resulting from coal mining should be seen as equal stakeholders in the reform process.
“I hope that they understand that that there is a huge investment in this issue from all corners of our state and of our country. There’s a lot of people that have a stake,” Beebe said. “It’s not just the people who work in the mines or work in the coal plants; it’s all the people that live along the coasts and breathe the air. We have equal stake and we have a right to have our voices heard.”
Kelly Dimmick of Skyline Mine said that miners are just as interested as environmentalists in being good stewards of natural resources. He said that miners have been given an unfair reputation in the media.
“A lot of bad publicity has [come] to the coal miners of the world be are environmentalists ourselves. We spend time in the mountain. Our coal mine is in the mountain,” Dimmick said. “We love the mountain, we go up there and we want to be a steward just like they do. I just don’t believe that we’re the single sole blame for the problems that they’re having.”
Members of the public were also in attendance. Bruce Lindsay, a private citizen, said that the nation’s energy future will still need to include coal and that a moratorium on new leases is a mistake.
“Right now, there’s an opportunity for the [Bureau of Land Management] to make a decision that’s right for this country,” Lindsay said. “Coal realizes that we need all forms of energy, not just coal and not just renewables. It takes them all. But right now, to have a moratorium on coal isn’t going to do anybody any good.”
The Interior Department will be hosting further public hearings in other cities across the country.
