WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final supplemental environmental impact statement and proposed amendment to its Buffalo Field Office land use plan.

This plan will end future coal leases in the Powder River Basin, the heart of Wyoming’s coal production. Wyoming is the leading producer of coal in the United States.

“President Biden continues to wage war on Wyoming’s coal communities and families,” said Senator Barrasso. “This short-sighted plan will kill future coal leases in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin – the most energy rich area in the country. This will kill jobs and could cost Wyoming hundreds of millions of dollars used to pay for public schools, roads, and other essential services in our communities. Cutting off access to our strongest resources surrenders America's greatest economic advantages – to continue producing affordable, abundant, and reliable American energy.”