U.S. Senator Steve Daines spoke with Nonstop Local about the recent reversal of President Biden’s Miles City Resource Management Plan, a move that had previously restricted new coal leases in eastern Montana. Daines led the legislation that President Trump signed into law to overturn these restrictions.
During the interview, Daines stated, “Made-In-Montana energy is back. President Trump meant what he said when he campaigned and said we’ve got to bring back more Made-In-America energy. We just unlocked two million acres of eastern Montana land that the Biden administration at the 11th hour, as they were going out the door, locked it all up, preventing any new coal leases. This is bringing more Made-In-Montana energy. We need more baseload power, we need more affordable energy. This is a big win for Montana…”
He emphasized the economic benefits of coal production for Montana: “Let’s not forget the important role that coal plays in our tax base. It’s $4 billion in future revenue. At a time when we are all stretched in terms of tax burden, this helps share the tax burden here by ensuring that we’ve got the ability to expand our energy production, and you know what, they pay a lot of taxes…”
Daines also addressed concerns from environmental groups: “The environmental lobby wants to keep everything in the ground. They don’t want to cut down another tree, or mine any new copper or any new coal. We are called the Treasure State for a reason. We are rich in natural resources. We’ve got to do this to have the jobs, low costs, affordable energy, and the bottom line is, we can both maintain the highest environmental standards (clean air and clean water) and responsibly mine our natural resources.”
The change affects approximately two million acres of land in eastern Montana that were previously closed off from new coal leasing under Biden’s policy.