Trump fast-tracks Black Butte coal expansion with 28-day review

The Trump administration has greenlit an expansion at Wyoming’s Black Butte Mine after compressing an environmental review that usually takes years into less than a month.

The Interior Department said Tuesday the move lets Black Butte Coal Co. pull an additional 9.2 million tons of federal coal from two new areas—Pit 15 and Pit 10—on public land in Sweetwater County. The mine feeds the nearby Jim Bridger Power Plant, majority-operated by PacifiCorp (a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary), and has been running since 1977. With this approval, Interior projects Black Butte can keep operating through at least 2039.

Officials used emergency permitting procedures—created after President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency—to speed the NEPA process via “alternative arrangements.” The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) ran an expedited review, including a 10-day public comment period and a virtual public meeting, before signing off.

Interior framed the decision as part of Trump’s energy agenda under Executive Orders 14154 (Unleashing American Energy) and 14241 (Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry).

“The Black Butte Mine expansion strengthens our nation’s Energy Dominance by responsibly unlocking federal coal resources,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, adding the plan includes land restoration requirements after mining.

Jobs and tonnage

• Added coal: ~9.2 million tons
• Timeline: mine life extended to at least 2039
• Workforce: Black Butte currently employs 56 full-time workers; Interior says the expansion could add 50+ jobs

Environmental groups, already blasting the “energy emergency” declaration, say the 28-day timeline short-circuits meaningful review and vowed to challenge the approval. Critics also question whether fast-tracking more coal squares with long-term market trends and climate goals.

With the mining plan change approved, Black Butte can move to recover coal in the newly authorized pits while following reclamation and monitoring requirements. Expect legal and political fights to continue over the emergency pathway that made this one of the swiftest coal approvals in memory.

Bloomberg and US Department of the Interior contributed to this report.