|
?:reviewBody
|
-
In March 2017, multiple web sites published articles under headlines, such as Trump Opens National Parks and Wildlife Refuges for Coal Mining, which were true in a literal sense, but didn't convey that public lands had not been fully and permanently closed to such activity in the first place. On 28 March 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Presidential Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth that overturned several environmental regulations implemented during the Obama administration, such as a temporary (three-year) moratorium on the leasing of federal lands for coal mining: The Obama administration placed a three-year moratorium on the leasing of federal lands for coal mining in January 2016 in order to review how domestic coal production aligned with the United State's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This moratorium did not, however, completely halt coal production on public lands — Secretary's Order 3338 temporarily stopped new coal mining efforts from starting up on public lands but but allowed existing coal mining projects to continue in operation: Although President Trump's executive order lifted this moratorium a few years earlier then originally intended, it did not open public lands to coal mining, as such activity had already taken place and was still underway. The order did, however, allow for federal lands to be leased to coal companies for new mining operations that were precluded while the moratorium was in effect: So yes, President Trump signed an executive order that allowed for the issuance of new coal mining leases for federal lands. But existing coal mining operations on federal lands were still ongoing, and the moratorium that precluded the issuance of new coal mining leases was due to expire in 2019.
(en)
|
![[This page as RDF]](http://data.gesis.org/claimskg/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}