Overview

• Interior will open roughly 13.1 million federal acres for coal leasing and speed approvals, with seven pending applications across Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Alabama.
• Coal royalty rates are being reduced to 7% from 12.5% as part of the package designed to lower mining costs and encourage new production on federal lands.
• The Energy Department announced $625 million to support coal-fired power, including funds to recommission and retrofit plants, invest in rural projects, upgrade wastewater systems and enable dual-fuel operations.
• EPA proposed a five-year delay for certain power‑plant wastewater limits and began gathering input on changes to Regional Haze implementation, with public comment periods to follow.
• Environmental and clean‑energy groups condemned the moves as costly and polluting and signaled legal challenges, while analysts question coal’s long‑term prospects against cheaper gas and renewables.