Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) urged the U.S. Department of the Interior to ensure a fair return to taxpayers now that the comment period has closed on a proposal to reform coal royalties:

"The Interior Department needs to be more aggressive in reforming the outdated federal coal program. Taxpayers deserve a fair return on the sale of resources that they own, but the current program is broken.

“I am committed to a strong final rule. The final rulemaking must eliminate loopholes and better account for carbon pollution.

“I am encouraged by the large number of public comments submitted to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue about the rulemaking. The taxpayers are paying attention, and I am glad to see they are demanding appropriate compensation.”